Entertainment & Recreation in Islam (Fiqh of Chillin')

Qabeel ah Hosna | Student Notes
November 2013

Qabeelah Hosna Fiqh of Chillin
November 2013 Shaykh Saad Tasleem
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Tabl e of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1 | Striking the Balance (al- Wasa!iyyah) .......................................................................... 5
Striking the Balance is Part of the Shar"ah .................................................................................. 5
How to Strike the Balance ............................................................................................................. 11
#al$l Until Proven Guilty ........................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 2 | Pop Culture .................................................................................................................... 16
Consumerism / Materialism ......................................................................................................... 16
Music & Movies ............................................................................................................................... 27
Music, Movies, Pop-Culture, and Materialism ........................................................................... 35
Watching and Following Sports ................................................................................................... 36
Chapter 3 | Physical Fitness ............................................................................................................ 38
Sports at the Time of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) .............................................. 38
Islamic Perspective on Sports and Physical Fitness ................................................................. 42
Chapter 4 | Recreational Drugs ....................................................................................................... 44
Cigarettes ......................................................................................................................................... 45
Shisha ............................................................................................................................................... 46
Alcohol ............................................................................................................................................. 47
Marijuana ......................................................................................................................................... 49
Chapter 5 | Social Media .................................................................................................................. 51
Studying Islam Online ................................................................................................................... 51
Getting a Fatwa from Shaykh Google and Shaykh Waki (Wikipedia) ................................ 53
The Online Tongue ......................................................................................................................... 55
Looking for a Spouse Online ......................................................................................................... 58
Chapter 6 | Laughing, Joking & Pranks ......................................................................................... 60
Smiling in Islam .............................................................................................................................. 60
General Attitude in Everyday Life ............................................................................................... 60
Joking and Pranks ........................................................................................................................... 61
Chapter 7 | Souls are Like Soldiers Grouped in Ranks ............................................................ 66
Friendship in Islam ........................................................................................................................ 66
20 Things which will Make You the Best of Friends ................................................................. 68
Socializing ....................................................................................................................................... 70
Chapter 8 | So Travel Through the Earth ............................................................................... 72
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The Encouragement of the Shar"ah to Travel ............................................................................ 72
Early Muslim Travellers ................................................................................................................ 73
Travelling to Seek Knowledge ...................................................................................................... 73
Travelling for Leisure .................................................................................................................... 73

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Introducti on

Preparation for this class started years ago. Shaykh Saad started pulling material from the
very first day he started practicing Islam.
Misconceptions about this class:
Misconception #1: We will learn how to chill in this class.
Misconception #2: This class is a list of fatwas dealing with entertainment.
This class goes beyond &al$l and &ar$m. This class is about us finding a balance in life. All!h
has created mankind with needs, and amongst those needs are spiritual needs. We desire
spirituality and have a need to connect with our Lord. People can try to cover these up, but
if they do, then their soul becomes restless. Eventually it will wear down upon them and
they will feel like there is something missing. The second need is the need to relax, rest,
and entertain ourselves. If this need is ignored, it starts to bother the person. This is a type
of lifestyle that cannot be sustained. The person is covering up the need to be entertained,
which is a need All!h created them with. In this class, we learn how to find the balance.
The goal is that by the end of the seminar, you have a clear picture of how to balance d"n
and dunya.
A lot of Muslims are living a very guilty version of Islam and tend to feel guilty about what
they are doing. They dont understand where the line lies and how much they can
entertain themselves.
Misconception #3: This class is only for people who are young.
When this class was taught in Seattle, there was a brother in his 70s taking the class. He sat
in the second row the entire seminar and was staring at the shaykh the entire seminar with
a blank look on his face. The energy in the room affects the shaykhs teaching style. At the
end of the seminar, the brother gives sal$m to the shaykh and says, Im upset at you
because there are friends of mine in my age group who didnt take this seminar because
you titled it Fiqh of Chillin and they thought it was for kids. Im upset because they missed
out on this whole experience we went through.
This is a class on spirituality and tazkiyah. You will come out of this class not only with a
clear picture on how to attain balance but also be closer to All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la).

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Chapter 1 | Stri ki ng the Bal ance (al - Wasa!i yyah)

Stri ki ng the Bal ance i s Part of the Shar" ah

Thus We have made you a balanced and just nation [al-Baqarah, 2:143]
By All!h, I am the most pious of you and the most fearful of All!h. As for me, I pray and I
sleep, I fast and I break my fast and I marry. Then, whosoever leaves my Sunnah is not from
me. ['a&"& al-Bukh!ri]
This chapter lays the groundwork for the rest of the seminar. Everything learned in this
section will be applied throughout this seminar.
There is something everyone is in search for and wants for themselves: not a happy life
but contentment. Contentment is something everyone wants for themselves and their
friends and families. There are many factors that can hinder our contentment. One of
those factors is not fulfilling our spiritual needs.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Every newborn child is born upon their fi!rah
(childs inborn natural nature to want to worship All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) and be a
spiritual being) and it is their parents who change their fi!rah. If the child was left alone
and they had no other influences, then by themselves they would come to the belief that
there is a higher power than themselves and that is the only higher power that deserves to
be worshipped. When these spiritual needs are neglected, the person loses contentment. If
a person doesnt address spiritual needs, they lose contentment.
If you completely ignore your spiritual needs, it digs a hole in your soul and you feel
emptiness. This leads people to come to Islam. When someone first starts practicing Islam
or first accepts Islam, it is very common for a person to try to do everything all the time.
They will go on Islam Q&A and look up fatwas on every issue and pick the hardest opinion.
They think that if they are doing the hardest opinion then they are doing what is correct.
This weighs down upon you and can eventually become really tough and the soul will not
find the comfort it first did when it accepted Islam.
Islam calls us to the middle path. The balanced way.
Definition: Extremism is either excessiveness or negligence.
Excessiveness eventually becomes a burden and they walk through the middle path to
negligence. Because of negligence, they are not happy again. Only when a person finds
their way back to the middle path that they find peace and comfort and contentment.
There are two things Shaykh Saad doesnt like about the UK:
1. When they talk, they always say literally. They use it to describe everything.
2. If you go to someones house, there are two separate taps: one for hot water and
one for cold water. The problem is when you turn on the hot water, it is scalding
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hot, and the cold water is freezing cold. This is the perfect analogy for extremism.
You will go from one extreme to the other and never be comfortable.
If someone showers twenty times a day, that is extreme. Another person may say they care
about the environment and only showers on (d. This is extreme too. There is
excessiveness which is doing too much and negligence which is doing too little. If you look
at the d"n, you will find people doing both. The truth lies in the middle.
The Shar"ah has made this concept a core aspect of our religion.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, All!h has given us a parable of the straight
path. This parable is a path which is surrounded by walls on either side. There is a caller
calling from the gate of this path saying, O people, come and enter the straight path
altogether and do not be divided. There is another caller from above the path saying, Woe
be unto you, do not enter from these doors [each wall on either side contains doors] for if
you enter through these doors, you will leave the straight path. This path is the path of
Islam. The walls on either side are the limits / boundaries of All!h. The caller at the gate of
the path is the Book of All!h. The caller from above is the admonition found in the heart of
every Muslim. [Tirmidhi]
This goes back to the concept of fi!rah: inside us, there is something telling us that
happiness lies in the middle and if we enter through these doors, we will not be happy.
All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) says, and thus we have made you the wasa! nation. What
does wasa! mean?
1) Our ummah is balanced, moderate, and just.
2) We are the best or the most exemplary of nations.
The scholars say that in order for the second meaning to be correct, the first meaning has
to be true and present. If we are not balanced and not moderate and not just, then we can
no longer refer to ourselves as the best of nations. This is one characteristic of our ummah
that makes us the best of nations. The moment we are no longer just and moderate and
balanced in our approach, then we cannot call ourselves the middle nation.

In S)ratl-Baqarah v. 143, All!h says, and thus we have made you a balanced and just
nation so that you may be a witness over mankind. And the Messenger is a witness over all
of you.
- What aspect allows us to be a witness over mankind? Our wasa!iyyah allows us to be
a witness over mankind. If we are no longer balanced and moderate and just, then
we cannot be a witness over mankind.

- What about the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) allowed him to be a witness over
mankind according to this $yah? He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was the most
balanced and moderate and just and the best.
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Han"alah passed by Abu Bakr whilst he was crying. Abu Bakr asked, Whats wrong, O
Han"alah? He said, Han"alah has committed hypocrisy. When were with the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) he reminds us of Paradise and the Hellfire as if they are before
us, but when we return to our families and businesses we become forgetful. Abu Bakr
replied, It is as you say. Let us go to the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). They went to
him, and when the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) saw Han"alah, he said, Whats
wrong, O Han"alah? He replied, Han"alah has committed hypocrisy. When were with you
we are reminded of Paradise and the Hellfire as if they are before us, but when we return to
our families and businesses we become forgetful. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
remarked, If you always continued to be as you are with me, then the angels would come
and greet you in your sittings, on the roads and upon your mattresses. Rather, O Han"alah,
there is a time for this and a time for that. [Sunan al-Tirmidhi]
When Han"alah said he think he is a hypocrite, this is a very serious thing. The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) is saying to Han"alah, and by extension us, is that it is
impossible to be at 100% all the time. One of the beliefs of ahll-sunnah wal-jam$ah is that
our "m$n goes up and down. The more actions of piety we do, the more our "m$n goes up.
The more we neglect our obligations, our "m$n goes down. The balance is part of our
Shar"ah.
In Bukh!ri: Anas narrates a story from the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). Three
pious men came to visit the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). Anas said, They came to
learn about the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) and see how he worshipped All!h. The
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was not there, so they asked about his worship. After
we described it to them, they were not that impressed. They began to say, The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) has had his past and future sins forgiven so we need to be
different. One of them said, As for me, Im going to fast every single day. Another said,
As for me, Im going to pray the whole night. Another said, As for me, I will never get
married. They left. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) came back and is told of what
took place. He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) immediately said, Go find these three men and
bring them back to me. When they are brought back, he (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
Did you three make these statements? They said yes. He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
Wall$hi, I am the most pious amongst all of you and I have the most taqwa amongst all of
you, yet I pray and I sleep, and I fast and I break my fast, and I marry women. The one who
goes beyond my Sunnah is not from amongst me.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) told us we should pray the last 1/3
rd
of the night
because that is the most blessed portion. His Sunnah was to pray half of the night. He
prayed more and less, but his regular habit was to pray half the night. In the above &ad"th,
the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) described extremism: to go outside of the Sunnah of
the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam).
In Shaykh Saads first year at the University of Mad#nah, some students decided to make
Umrah. They went to the m"q$t and got in a cab to go towards Makkah. They finally got to
Masjidl-#ar$m but it was midday. They were all fasting, and they made the !aw$f and went to
make say. The total distance of say is 4.7 km. One of the brothers was incredibly thirsty
and felt like passing out. One brother said, All of you need to fear All!h. How dare you
leave one act of worship for another act of worship? You are here in the month of
Ramadan and will break your fast? A few of the brothers broke their fast and the rest
continued fasting. Fast forward 6 months. They are in class and studying the chapter of
fasting. They come across a narration of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) in which
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he said, It is not out of piety that a person fasts while they are traveling. The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) is saying: dont think that if you are fasting while traveling that
you are more pious than other people. Shaykh Saad thought: look at what a lack of
knowledge and lack of understanding does to the religion of Islam they end up doing
more damage than good. The shaykh teaching that class said some scholars believe it is
&ar$m to fast while traveling if that fasting is a hardship upon you. This is a rukhsah that
All!h is giving and you cant throw it back and put extra hardship on yourself.
EPIC DU* #1: Sahih Muslim
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said,

O All!h, set aright my religious life because it is a safeguard for me in all my affairs. Set
aright my dunya, which is the source of my livelihood [meaning: we need this life because
we need the livelihood]. Set aright my $khirah to which I am bound to return to. And make
my life a means of accumulating / gathering good. Make my death a refuge for me from all
evil.
As we incorporate du$s of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) in our life, it will help us
get closer to All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la). We ask for our d"n and dunya and keep in mind the
$khirah. We ask All!h to make our life a means for us to accumulate more good. We ask
All!h that if He takes our life away, that He is protecting us from something evil.
The early generations of our ummah would make a statement: Plan for your life as if you
are going to live forever. Plan for your $khirah as if you are going to die tomorrow.
How do we understand this statement?
- Just because we know we are going to die, we dont go hide in a cave until we die.
Dont just let go of your life.
- With your $khirah, never forget that you could die tomorrow. When you are
praying, remind yourself that this could be your last prayer. When giving charity,
remind yourself that this may be your last chance.
- Have the balance between hope and fear. Keep sight of the $khirah.
Pri nci pl e: I s l am embodi es bal ance and t he mi ddl e pat h bet ween ei t her
ext r eme. Thi s i s not onl y f ound i n t heol ogy or wor s hi p, but al s o
t hr oughout al l of t he t eachi ngs of I s l am.
This is found in all aspects of Islam: theology, worship, etc.
! Bal ance i n Theol ogy ( Aq" dah)
People go to an extreme: what do you give weight to? Your aql or naql? Intellect vs.
revelation. One group of people say that you take your intellect and throw it in the garbage
and just follow revelation and what you have been told.
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One extreme is taking the crux of the religion and it doesnt make sense to the intellect (i.e.
the trinity).
Another extreme is those who say put revelation aside and only give weight to the intellect.
These people deny everything without clear proof.
Islam is in the middle. When it comes to establishing our "m$n and believing in All!h and
the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), it has to make sense. The crux of our religion is
established with intellect. Someone may say, Arent there parts of our religion that we
just believe? Yes, however this belief is not blind faith because we have already
established in a logical manner that there is a God and that the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) is the last Messenger, and if the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) tells us
something, we have established that what he says is truthful and we accept it.
We are balanced in our approach to intellect and revelation.
Analogy the scholars mention
The relationship between our intellect and revelation is like eyesight and light. Just like
eyesight is useless without light, light is only beneficial if you are able to see. Likewise, our
intellect is like our eyesight and the revelation is like light.

When it comes to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, you find that Islam always tries to seek
the middle path. In Suratl-Fathihah, we say ihdinal-siratl-mustaqeem. Siratlladhina an
amta alayhim. Ghayril maghdoobi alayhim wa la dhaalineen. We say, Not those people
who have earned your anger and not those people who have gone astray. Why did they
earn All!hs anger? Knowledge without action. Those who went astray were those who
acted without knowledge. Some Christians at the time of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) would say Isa is the son of God and there is no proof for that and no knowledge to
support that.
We say that Isa was a prophet and amongst the most noble prophets.

O people of the Book, do not go into an extreme regarding your religion. Do not say about
All!h except that which is true. [S)ratl-Nis$, 171]

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! Bal ance i n Worshi p
One of the best things we can do with our time is worship All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la). Can
you go into an extreme when it comes to worship? Yes.
Story of Sal m!n and Abu l -Dard!
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) took Salm!n and Abul-Dard! and said, You two
from this day forth are brothers, so take care of each other. On one occasion, Salm!n went
to the house of Abul-Dard! and knocked on the door. The wife of Abul-Dard! answered
the door, and Salm!n notices that she looks disheveled and is wearing shabby clothes. He
asks, Is everything okay? She says, Your brother Abul-Dard! doesnt have many needs
or wants from this life. Salm!n knows Abul-Dard! and understands what she is trying to
say. Salm!n waits for Abul-Dard! to come home. When he comes home, he serves him
food, and Salm!n notices he is not eating. Abul-Dard! says he is fasting. Salm!n says he
will wait for him to break his fast to eat. The night came and during the night Salm!n
notices that in the early portion of the night Abul-Dard! wakes up. Salm!n says, The
time is not right now. [Go back to sleep]. A few hours pass and Abul-Dard! is about to
wake up and Salm!n says, Not right now. The last third of the night comes and Abul-
Dard! wakes up and Salm!n wakes up with him and they pray qiy$ml-layl. Salm!n wants
to see how he spends his time. Note: This teaches us to observe before advising people.
Salm!n said, Ya Abul-Dard!, your Lord has rights upon you. Your family has rights upon
you as well. And you have rights upon yourself. Give each party its due right.
Salm!n is telling him that it is good he is worshipping All!h and wants to excel in it, but it
should not come at the expense of your family or own self. You have to take care of
yourself and your own body. You have to give time to rest and relax.
Someone heard Salm!n say this and told it to the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), and
when he (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) heard this, he said, Most certainly Salm!n has spoken
the truth. We consider this statement not just as a statement of Salm!n but a &ad"th of the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) because the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) gave
clear approval for this statement.
Lesson: Even in acts of worship, there are extremes of doing too much or too little. Our
goal has to be that we live a balanced life even when it comes to our worship.
Being an ascetic is not an Islamic concept. We have to find the balance in the middle.
Sometimes you may see someone who falls short when dealing with others and this
persons Islam is incomplete because there is something missing. The Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) who brought us acts of worship also brought us our knowledge of how we
deal with people. Someone who is harsh with other people or looks down at other people
or has the sicknesses of the heart (envy, jealousy) has missed out on that part of Islam
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, I have been sent to perfect good character.
What type of Islam are you following if it hasnt affected your character and dealing with
people?
Story of the Bedoui n Man
A bedouin man walked into the masjid of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). One
narration says he went to the corner of the masjid and another narration mentions he goes
to the center of the masjid and he begins to urinate. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
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sallam) tells the companions, Let him finish. Dont stop him! He finished and the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) then walked up to him and said, These areas are known as
masjid and we worship All!h here and these areas are not meant to have any type of filth in
it. The man said, O All!h, have mercy on Mu$ammad and me and no one else. The
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Indeed you have restricted something which is
very vast [the Mercy of All!h].
The key issue here and what allowed the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) to have that
type of character is that he approached the situation from the perspective of the bedouin
man. In one narration, the bedouin man said they didnt distinguish between different
places. The bedouin man didnt know better. Many times when we approach a situation,
we do so from our own perspective.
Shaykh Saad just moved back to Maryland from Mad#nah and parked his car in the masjid
parking lot and was walking to the masjid for jumuah. The adh$n was being called. As he
was walking, he sees a young Muslim brother sitting in his car smoking. His first instinct
was to walk up to him and tell him to stop smoking. Instead, Shaykh Saad tapped on his
window and said sal$m. The brother replied back, Hey. Shaykh Saad says, Do you mind
putting out your cigarette? Its not cool that you are smoking here. He said, Oh, Im
really sorry. I didnt know you cant smoke here. Ive never been to a masjid before. Im
not Muslim. My dad is Muslim and I brought him here because he wanted to pray.
Reconsider how you talk to people because it can really make a difference.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A person with their good character, perhaps
they may reach the rank of someone who is known to fast a lot or prays the night in
prayer.
Part of piety is your day to day dealings with people. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) even called smiling at someone an act of goodness.

! Bal ance i n Li fe

How to Stri ke the Bal ance

! How Does the Shar" ah Stri ke the Bal ance?

1. By splitting the religion into constants and changeables.
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Parts of worship are constant and dont change such as praying five times a day. Belief
in All!h does not change. There are aspects of the Shar"ah that can change from time to
time and place to place.
E.g. Issues of worship are for the most part constant whereas issues of day-to-day living
are changeable.
2. Not going to one extreme or the other.
Wasa!iyyah is a fight against extremism in the complete meaning of the word
(excessiveness and negligence).
E.g. It is recommended to fast voluntarily but disliked to fast every day.
3. The religion is ease.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, The religion is ease. [Bukh!ri]
Someone may hear this &ad"th and think that Islam is meant to be easy. People take the
Arabic word to mean easy but the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) means that
Islam will bring about ease. There are many interpretations of this &ad"th. One of them
is that when a person submits to All!h and follows all the difficult things they have to
do, they will find ease and comfort in their heart. This is the comfort and ease of the
soul, which is much more important than physical ease. Islam never promises people
physical ease.
The companions led incredibly difficult lives, but they were happy because their souls
were at rest. Ibn al-Qayyim mentions that when a person shows up on the Day of
Judgment and they had led a difficult life, on that Day, they are given ease. On that Day
people will be drowning in their sweat. When a person feels ease on that Day, they will
say the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) spoke the truth.
Islam will not burden you with something you cannot handle. It is w$jib to stand up and
pray, but if we are incapable, then fear All!h to the best of your ability and pray sitting
down.
E.g. The im$m should not prolong the prayer when he has the elderly, weak and infirm
behind him.
4. Concessions for certain people.

When you are traveling, you dont have to fast and combine / shorten prayers.
E.g. If you cant pray standing, pray sitting, or else lying on your side.
! How Do We Stri ke the Bal ance?

1. Dont forget your true goal and vision in life.

And I have not created the jinn and humankind except that they worship Me.
[al-Dh$riy$t, 51:56]
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The purpose in life is to worship All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la). We are trying to find the
balance and lead a moderate life, but through our quest, never forget that at the end of
the day we want to worship All!h to make it to Paradise.

2. Your life revolves around attaining the pleasure of All!h.
We need to figure out how to bring rest, entertainment and relaxation together with
the Pleasure of All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la). When you chill and play, your intention
should be to please All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la).

3. Strike a balance in your life and fulfill your responsibilities.
Your Lord has a right on you, your family has a right on you and you have a right on
yourself, so give each one its due right. ['a&"& al-Bukh!ri]

Balance is not just about d"n and dunya but also about your responsibilities as a person.
Just as we have the need to entertain ourselves, it should never lead us to not fulfill our
responsibilities.

4. When you chill and play, your intention should be to please All!h so that you will be
rewarded for chilling too.
#al $l Unti l Proven Gui l ty

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Our d"n is split into two categories: acts of worship and everything that is not an act of
worship. Acts of worship are actions we do solely and purely to worship All!h and attain
His Pleasure. On the other hand, we have everything that is not an act of worship.
Acti ons of Non-Worshi p
The default ruling is that it is &al$l until proven guilty. All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) said,
All!h created for you everything that is in the earth.
In Sunan Abu D!w%d, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn M!jah: A man comes to the Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) and asked, What is the ruling on fat, cheese and fur? The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, The permissible is everything All!h has made &al$l in His
Book. The &ar$m are those things which All!h has made impermissible in His Book. Those
things which All!h has not mentioned are things which are forgiven for you / allowed for
you.
Two conditions:
1) Authentic proof
2) It must be clear / clearly applicable to what we are using it for.

&al$l

. &ar$m
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The vast majority of things on earth fall into the &al$l category. The problem is that people
tend to focus on the &ar$m dot and forget about all the things All!h has made &al$l for us.
Acts of Worshi p
Default Ruling: Everything is &ar$m until proven as not guilty.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever brings something new into this
matter of ours, it is rejected. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) means the Shar"ah
and Islam and more specifically acts of worship.
When All!h makes something &ar$m, it is for our benefit. All!h knows what is good and bad
for mankind.
Why is it a Mercy from All!h to have sets acts of worship?
- It protects Islam. As Muslims, we have a very clear picture of what taqwa and piety
are.
- It keeps us unified as an ummah. 'al$tl-(d is meant to be in one place where
everyone congregates together.
There are actions that people would do but early scholars of &ad"th would not do. For
example, walking and eating food. If a scholar was seeing walking and eating food, they
would say he has taken part in some of those things which are disliked. It takes away from
the status of the person. The reason they had things like this was because of preservation
of &ad"th. They were dealing with revelation. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
He doesnt speak from his own desires. He speaks from wa&y. Because it is a matter of
protecting revelation, you have to be extra careful who is allowed to be a narrator of &ad"th.
Do these still exist in our times? This is an issue of debate amongst the scholars. Some say
it still applies in our times and others say it doesnt exist. Even for those who say it does
exist, they are dependent on the culture in which it takes place. It would be something
considered odd or strange in the culture you are living in.
Pri nci pl e: Bas ed on t he above, i s s ues of day- t o- day l i f e s uch as new
t echnol ogy, f ood, cl ot hi ng and s por t s , et c. ar e al l al l owed under t he
def aul t r ul i ng, UNLESS t hey cont r avene one of t he pr i nci pl es of I s l am.

16

Chapter 2 | Pop Cul ture
Consumeri sm / Materi al i sm
Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and
services in ever-greater amounts.
1

Consumerism is the myth that the individual will be gratified and integrated by
consuming. Rip Cronk
He is saying that consumerism is a myth that people buy into. They buy into the myth that
by consuming or buying more stuff, they will:
1) Feel gratified
2) Feel integrated into society
Mani festati ons of Consumeri sm
1. Temporary gratification
When we buy something new, we do feel happy, but it is a temporary happiness. Think
about the last thing that you bought. Think about the feelings you had for the few days
before the package arrived or the feeling you had when walking into the store to buy
that item. Think about the feeling you had when you bought it or opened the package.
Most people will have a positive feeling. Now fast forward two days and think about
how you felt. Fast forward a week and think about how you felt. Fast forward a month
and think about how you felt.

The way you felt on the first day (giddy and excited about what you bought) went away.
Sometimes it goes away very quickly. The gratification a person gets from buying more
things from dunya is a very temporary gratification. It is very fleeting.

2. Depression for those who cannot buy
When we buy something, we feel that well fit in. When Shaykh Saad was in high
school, Ugg boots were popular with girls. There was a group of girls who had them
and a group who didnt. Those who couldnt buy them felt left out.

If someone lives in an apartment and all their family and friends own their own houses,
they feel depressed.

Example of designer purses: There are sisters who can afford to buy designer purses.
Others cannot afford them.

We always tell ourselves that if we buy something, it will make us happy and we dont need
a different one (i.e. an iPhone until the next one comes out). That feeling of gratification is
temporary, and when it goes away, you will just try to fill it again.

We are defi ned by the thi ngs we buy
! People begin to identify strongly with products or services that they consume.

1 Veblen, Thorstein (1899): The Theory of the Leisure Class: an economic study of institutions, Dover Publications, Mineola, N.Y., 1994
17

We tend to define people by the things they own. We think they are amazing people by the
stuff they have instead of looking deeper into who the person is.

The Butler Story

When Shaykh Saad first moved back from Mad#nah, he was putting gas in his car. A Rolls
Royce pulled up and another car pulled up with some young guys in the car. The young
guys are really excited to see the Rolls Royce. The door opened on the Rolls Royce and a
butler walked out. The young guys get even more excited and were so infatuated. Shaykh
Saad immediately thought to himself: these guys know nothing about this person except
that he is rich and possibly famous. This goes completely against what Islam teaches us
about how we assign value to people. All!h says, The most noble amongst you to All!h are
the people with the most taqwa.
! Valuing people for their possessions in light of Islam.

Imr!n b. &usayn narrates that the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, I looked into
Paradise and I saw that the majority of its people were the poor [al-Bukh!ri & Muslim]
The people we dont pay attention to may be the ones walking way ahead of us into
Paradise. We recognize goodness in people and it is not about the things we have.

On the cover of the binder is a pair of Converse shoes. The first time Shaykh Saad spoke
with AlMaghrib was at IlmFest in Toronto and he was wearing red converse shoes. The
very issue we are talking about in this class is that you dont like someone because of what
they have but that you appreciate their closeness to All!h.

How special do we feel sometimes because of what we own? Because of a brand, we feel
special. This is an effect of living in a consumerist society.

Resources and the Workforce
Di d you know? The U.S. has 5% of the worlds population, but were consuming 30% of the worlds
resources
2
and creating 30% of the worlds waste.
3

Americans consume the most in the entire world: 30%. The society we are living in today
is the epitome of a consumer society. We dont have enough resources, so we consume the
resources of other countries. This helps us fulfill our desires and have more stuff, and we
can be environmentally friendly. We take pride in being environmentally friendly. We are
part of the consumerist society and it does more damage to the environment. So much
stuff gets thrown away.
The erosion of local environments and economies in the Third World ensures a constant
supply of people with no other option.
Manufacturing leads to a lot of the toxics leaving the factory as byproducts or pollution,
and instead of polluting ones own country, factories are moved overseas so its their lands
that get polluted!

2
This figure is cited in many places. For example: John L Seitz: Global Issues: An Introduction, (2001)
3
The U.S. produced approximately 33% of the worlds waste with 4.6% of the worlds population (Miller 1998) quoted in Global
Environmental Issues by Frances Harris (2004).
18

Producti on and Consumpti on
Di d you know? In North America 99% of the things that are produced and bought are trashed
within 6 months of the date of sale.
After WWII, the economy was suffering because of the war. The economists thought about
what could be done to bring life back to the society and they came up with consumerism.
Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life,
that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual
satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption we need things consumed, burned up,
replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.
4

- Victor Lebow
Way of life reminds us of religion. Every religion has rituals. Christmas has become
about buying stuff. Americans ritualistically rush to the malls to buy things. He says they
want people to seek spiritual satisfaction in buying more things. All!h created us with a
spiritual need, and when we dont address our spiritual side, we feel spiritual emptiness. A
person feels a void, and one thing people do to cover up that void is buying more stuff.
Some may feel that void and do not recognize their spiritual needs. Most people feel some
type of emptiness and void, and the person is not addressing their spiritual needs. It is a
sign from All!h when you feel the restlessness and void.
! Pl anned Obsol escence and Percei ved Obsol escence
There are two main strategies to make people buy:
1. Planned Obsolescence
It is designed for people to throw it away after a certain amount of time. For example: a
Starbucks cup. When someone holds the Starbucks cup they feel some satisfaction and
thats why they feel like spending so much on coffee. It is about the brand.

Ever since Shaykh Saad was a young child, he remembers his mom has a certain
blender. She said, Ive bought other blenders over the years, but this blender refuses
to break, so why would I throw it away? Back in the day, things were made to last, and
if something broke, you went and got it fixed and didnt throw it away. People get in
the habit of buying new stuff all the time.

2. Perceived Obsolescence
This is when we perceive that a product has become obsolete even though it is fine. A
good example of this is our cell phones. We get new cell phones because there is a new
one out and think that it must be a lot better. When you go to buy a car, you may be
faced with the 2013 model or 2014 model and we tell ourselves that we want the newest
one and not an older car. We convince ourselves the newer one must be better.
When Umar (ra+yAll$hu anhu) was khal"fah, he would walk through the streets of Mad#nah
and advise people and hear their complaints. One day as he was walking, he came across
J!bir b. Abdull!h who had in his hand a piece of meat to cook and eat. Umar asked him
what it was, and J!bir responded, This is a piece of meat. I desired it, so I bought it.
Umar said, Is it the case that every time you see something you like you buy? I fear you

4
Victor Lebow, Journal of Retailing, quoted in Durning, How Much is Enough? (1992)
19

may fall under the $yah, You have exhausted all of your needs and wants in this life.
Meaning: If we are in a state where we buy whatever we desire, All!h is saying we have
exhausted all pleasures of this life. As a Muslim, we are always looking to the $khirah. No
matter how enjoyable this life may be, nothing will compare to the $khirah. By desiring
things of this life, weve left nothing for the $khirah. Umar is teaching J!bir a bigger lesson
about consumerism and materialism.
! The Work, Watch, Spend Treadmi l l
When you live in a consumerist society, it is easy to fall into the work, watch, spend
treadmill. People wake up early in the morning to go to work and in the evening they drive
home in traffic. To relax, they watch television or get on the internet. We are shown all
this stuff that we need to have to be happier. In the back of our minds, we think that if we
had more money and more stuff and a bigger house that it will make us happier. People go
through the whole week in this manner, and finally the weekend comes along. People go
shopping to relax. A comedian said, Americans love the mall. It is at the mall that
Americans can fulfill their two most prominent desires: eating and shopping. It is more
about showing the world now instead of experiencing it yourself. At the end of the
weekend, they are broke and then after the weekend they are back at work to earn the
money. It is a vicious cycle. This becomes our whole life: working and buying more stuff.
What is the purpose of your life? What drives you in your day-to-day life? Why do you do
the things that you do from day to day and hour to hour? If you really think about it, your
answer will be one of two things. It will either be your desire for the $khirah or your desire
for dunya.
! Love of the Worl dl y Li fe
Scholars have talked about consumerism and materialism and called it &ubbl-dunya (love of
the dunya). All!h puts people into one of two categories.
Peopl e fal l i nto two categori es:

All!h says, Among you are those who desire this world, and among you are those who
desire the Hereafter. [*le-Imr$n, 3:152]

If you truly look at your heart and have an honest discussion with yourself regarding your
life, you do it either because of the $khirah or some worldly reason.

Ibn Abb!s (ra+yAll$hu anhu) narrates that he heard Umar b. al-Kha''!b say:

I went to the residence of All!hs Messenger (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) and behold, he
was staying in an upper room of his to which he ascended by a ladder, and a young black
servant of All!hs Messenger was sitting on the first step. I said to him, Tell (the Prophet)
Umar b. al-Kha''!b is here. Then the Prophet admitted me and he was lying on a mat
made of palm tree leaves with nothing between him and the mat. Underneath his head
there was a leather pillow stuffed with palm fibers, and leaves of a saut tree were piled at
his feet, and above his head hung a few water skins. On seeing the marks of the mat
imprinted on his side, I wept. He said, Why are you weeping? I replied, O All!h's
Messenger! Caesar and Khosrau are leading the life (i.e. luxurious life), and you are the
20

Messenger of All!h! He then said, Wouldnt it satisfy you that this life be for them and the
Hereafter for us? [al-Bukh!ri; 4913]

The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) is not saying that we will not have the dunya. He is
saying that the dunya is for them to chase after. As Muslims, we have a higher goal and
purpose than simply running after the dunya. Muslims look forward to and desire the
$khirah. All!h blesses people with the dunya. The issue here is looking at your heart and
asking yourself where your heart truly belongs.

Reasons for l ove of the dunya:
1. All!h has created the things of the dunya to test us

Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and children,
heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That
is the enjoyment of worldly life, but All!h has with Him the best return. [*le-Imr$n,
3:14]
Part of human nature is that we like nice things. It is a trick of Shay!$n to make you feel
bad for liking nice things. We are talking about being consumed by the dunya.
2. Instant gratification
As human beings, we tend to enjoy things that are in front of us. It is part of our faith
that there is an $khirah, and Jannah is better than anything imaginable in this life, but
we still chase after this life because it is in front of us.

People know that smoking will kill them, but they still do it for the enjoyment of now.

There was a study done called the marshmallow test. College students were sent into a
room one by one and each one was given a marshmallow. They told them they could
eat it, but if they waited, they would be given a second marshmallow. They found that
the majority of people didnt want to wait for the second one, so they ate the first one.

3. Always wanting more and more materialism!

21

! The i l l effects of l ovi ng the dunya

1. It causes one to fal l i nto si ns

When a person is faced with a decision of committing a sin or not, there is an internal
struggle that takes place. It is a struggle between their desire for the $khirah and their
desire for the sin.

If a person is about to take interest, which is a major sin, and he fears All!h and cares
about his $khirah and this is higher than his love for the dunya, then he wont commit
that sin. If it is the other way around, he will fall into the sin. If a persons heart is
consumed by dunya, the dunya will always win.

2. It causes ghaf l ah (heedl essness)

This is the end product of a person who continually sins. The internal struggle doesnt
take place anymore because the heart has become trained that you will always pick the
dunya. A person will start committing sins openly. They wont care when they hear
reminders. When a person commits a sin, a dot is placed on the heart, and if the person
makes tawbah, the mark is removed and the heart is polished. If the person doesnt
make tawbah, the heart keeps getting covered and covered until the heart becomes
sealed. All!h describes this in the Qur!n. It is very difficult for a person to break
through a sealed heart.

3. One doesn t enj oy the remembrance of Al l !h

A young brother asked Shaykh Saad a question about an $yah: In the remembrance of
All!h do hearts find rest. The brother said, Im ashamed to say this, but for me, I
dont feel this $yah is true. He said he did dhikr and remembered All!h and recited
Qur!n but it didnt make a difference. He said, Is there something wrong with me?
Shaykh Saad told him the $yah needs to be understood properly, and if it is
misunderstood then a person may think there is either something wrong with the
Qur!n or the person. You have to remember All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) in a complete
manner. People think this $yah means dhikr of the tongue. This is not the case. All!h
(sub&$nahu wa ta$la) is talking about a complete method of dhikr, which is dhikr of the
tongue and dhikr of the heart. When the outer and inner come together, then that is
when you find the rest. When you make dhikr, ask yourself where your heart lies.
When you say, All$hu Akbar, are you thinking that All!h is greater than everything?
When you say, al&amdulill$h, are you thinking about everything you are grateful for?
All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) is saying that if you make that kind of dhikr, then you will
find that rest and comfort. If your heart is consumed by dunya, dhikr of the heart
doesnt happen because the heart is consumed by something else. When you let your
heart do the dhikr also, you find that rest and comfort.

4. The worri es and sorrows of the worl d consume one s l i fe

Picture this story in your mind: Picture a young child at 8 or 9 who is looking out the
window of the car when he is riding with his parents. Another car zooms by quickly,
and the kid is in awe. They pull up to the stop light and he sees the car and it is a
Porsche, and he says, One day insh$All$h Im going to own that Porsche. He gets older
22

and keeps working hard. He does well in school and gets into a good college and does
well. He works hard until he is 42 years old and has enough money to buy the car in
cash. They give him the keys. He pulls out of the dealership and gets into a car
accident. How does he feel? Crushed, destroyed, devastated because his whole life has
been leading up to this and All!h tested him in it.

If our main concern is the things of this dunya, when a test or trial comes upon us, we
wont be able to handle it because we have nothing more to look forward to. As
Muslims, we have "m$n, tawakkul, and the $khirah. All!hs Mercy on us is that when a
calamity happens we are not devastated because we know that there is more to this life.
When someone dies, we say inna lill$hi wa inna ilayhi r$ji)n because it is supposed to give
us comfort. When someone died, the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) would say
All!h gives everything and everything has an appointed time, so be patient and gain the
reward of your patience.

A calamity always strikes.

5. They don t get rewarded for the deeds they do because the i ntenti on i s
mi ssi ng

When Ramadan comes along, everyone goes to the masjid. Some may be doing it
because everyone else is doing it. In order to be rewarded for an act of worship, two
things must be there: sincerity and conformity to the way it has been legislated. It
must be done sincerely for the sake of All!h. Our heart must be present. When was the
last time you asked yourself why you are praying? Are you praying out of habit or are
you praying because you seek the reward of All!h with that prayer?

When the heart is consumed by the dunya, our acts of worship may be missing the
intention and we may be missing out on reward.

6. Oppressi ng and wrongi ng others becomes easy

If a person is only consumed by dunya, then it is easy for them to oppress others. The
dunya wins out over their concern for the other person or the $khirah.

7. Causes one to not hesi tate to sel l thei r d" n

Example: A sister wearing &ij$b graduates from college. She is qualified and keeps
applying for jobs but is not getting any. Her mom comes and says, Beti, as long as you
are wearing that thing on your head, no one is going to hire you. She takes it off for
the sake of a job. A person is giving up a part of the d"n for the sake of some worldly
benefit. If material things are more important to them, it will be easy for them to sell
their d"n. The more a persons heart is tied to the dunya, the easier it will be for them to
compromise on their religion.

8. Causes one to not hesi tate to speak about Isl am wi thout knowl edge

Imagine a gathering of brothers with a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, an architect, etc.
In this gathering, one brother said he had back pain and his doctor suggested he get
surgery and he asks them what they think. No one says anything (not even the doctor
23

who is qualified to speak) because they are afraid to give the wrong advice. In the same
gathering, someone says, I have an Islamic question. What is your opinion on? All
of a sudden, everyone is a scholar and gives an answer. In their minds, their knowledge
of dunya is far more worthy than the knowledge of the d"n.

In the early generations, there was a stark difference because their hearts were so
attached to the $khirah. Imam M!lik said, When someone asked me a question about
Islam, I would envision myself standing between heaven and hell, and if I said
something that was wrong, I could fall into the hellfire. A man came to Imam M!lik to
ask him about a specific issue, and Imam M!lik said he didnt know the answer but
would consult with other scholars in the area. The man came back the next day, and
Imam M!lik said, I dont know, and All!h knows best. The man said, O Imam, I have
come all the way from Sh!m and from a people who said there is no one on the face of
the earth as knowledgeable as Imam M!lik. What do I tell these people? Imam M!lik
lived in Mad#nah, and that journey took months. Imam M!lik said, Go back and tell the
people that Imam M!lik said, I dont know. Imam M!lik was teaching him a lesson
that it is not a light issue. Imam M!lik said, Didnt you hear that All!h told the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), We have revealed upon you a weighty message?

9. Causes one to l ove peopl e for the sake of thei r weal th

Instead of loving people for their taqwa and closeness to All!h, we love them for the
stuff they have. The more we love the dunya, the more we love the wrong type of
people. One of the best examples of this is that people tend to love celebrities no
matter how ridiculous they are.
! How can we cure l ove for the dunya?

1. Real i zi ng the real i ti es of the dunya because sooner or l ater we wi l l al l
fi gure i t out:

Contemplate the realities of this life.
a. S)ratl-Tak$thur

b. The realities of this life:
i. It is temporary
In the grand scheme of things, this is just like the blinking of an eye. The Day of
Judgment is 50,000 years. Just the Day of Judgment makes our life look like
nothing. We forget that this life is a short period of time.

ii. It is not perfect
Think about something that you are looking forward to buying. As perfect and
as amazing as you think it is, it is not perfect. There is no such thing as
perfection in this life. The glad tiding is that there is goodness in that. The fact
that you desire perfection means that you are on your fi!rah. That perfection is
only for Jannah. Because you desire perfection, you desire Jannah.

iii. Everything belongs to All!h All!h can take it at any time
24

Shaykh Saad asked one of his shaykhs for a piece of advice to detach himself
from dunya. The shaykh said, Every time you love something, remind yourself
that All!h can take it away from you at any moment.

All!h has given us every single thing that we have. How dare we complain
when All!h takes away one of those things? This life is temporary.

2. Bei ng content wi th l ess

A lot of people in their minds have their perfect life. They think, One day A person
may spend his whole life living in his head instead of being content with what All!h has
given him.

The blessing of this is that you are content with everything All!h has given you.

3. Real i zi ng that there i s no way to compl etel y sati sfy one s worl dl y
desi res!

No matter how hard a person tries, he will never be satisfied. The Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, If the children of (dam were given a valley full of gold, they
would ask for a second. If they are given two valleys, they will want another. There
are people today who have as much money as a valley full of gold, and they are trying
to get more.

4. Real i zi ng the worth of the dunya i s NOTHING thi nk about how much i t
woul d be worth to you on your deathbed

A famous scholar went to the khal"fah and said, O am"r of the believers, I want to ask
you a question. Before you take the sip of water, let me ask you a question. If at this
moment you became incapable to drink a sip of water, how much would you give? The
khal"fah said, I would give half of my wealth for the sake of that ability. He takes a sip.
Ibn al Samak asks, Let me ask another question. If at this moment you became
incapable of urinating, how much of your wealth would you give for that ability? He
said, I would give everything I own for that ability. Ibn al Samak said, I ask you by
All!h that if everything you own is worth a single sip of water and the ability to release
it from your body, what is the true worth of your wealth? Why would you chase after
the dunya? The narrator said the khal"fahs beard became wet because he realized the
true value.

5. Putti ng forward the l ove of Al l !h before anythi ng el se

6. Thinking about the pleasures of the $khirah

We dont think about Paradise. All!h put so many vivid descriptions of Paradise for us
to think about it and visualize it. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, There is
no true life but the life of the $khirah.

7. Pushi ng onesel f to be pati ent over the l ove of the dunya

This is a life of patience and struggle. All!h wants us to try our best against things that
25

take us away from the $khirah. We struggle with ourselves. We are patient every time
we are enticed by dunya and remind ourselves that the $khirah is better.
Are we supposed to abandon the dunya al l together?
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, O Hakim, this wealth is indeed green and
sweet [like fruit]. The one who takes this wealth without greed, All!h will put barakah in
their wealth. The one who takes it with greed, All!h will not put barakah in their wealth.
[Bukh!ri, Muslim]

Barakah is something we may not think of, but it plays an important role in our wealth.
Example: Two brothers go to a masjid fundraiser. Both had $200 in their pocket. One takes
$100 and gives it in charity. They are both leave, and the one who gave the %adaqah is going
80 mph and passes a cop, but as he passes the cop, the cop looks down because he spilled
coffee. The other one then drives by the cop at 80 mph and gets pulled over. He gets a
ticket for $200. All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) put barakah in the money of the one who gave
%adaqah.

One person may make a lot of money but does not have barakah because he is not content.
Another may have less but is content and has barakah in it.

Abu Dharr said the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, The people who have a little
in this life will have a lot in the $khirah. The people who have a lot in this life will have a
little except the person who does with their wealth like this and like this and like this
[spends freely from their wealth in obedience to All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la)].

One of the pious people of the early generations was asked by a layman, Who is better: the
scholars or the rich? The pious person said, The scholars. The man said, Why do we
find scholars at the doorsteps of the rich but you almost never find the rich at the doorstep
of the scholars? The pious person said, The scholar understands the benefit of the rich,
but the rich do not understand the benefit of the scholar.

The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) never sought out to be poor. The du$ of the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was the opposite: O All!h, I seek refuge in you from
poverty. This du$ is narrated in the six books of &ad"th. We shouldnt desire poverty
because it has its own challenges which we may not be able to deal with.

The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, O All!h, I seek refuge in you from sins and
from falling into debt. The companions asked, Why do you seek refuge from falling into
debt? He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, When a person is in debt, there is a chance
they will tell a lie or break a promise. [Bukh!ri]

- The correct understanding of asceticism

The word ascetic is used as a translation for the word zuhd, but this is an incorrect
translation. Ascetic means completely giving up the dunya, and this is not an Islamic
concept. We are never supposed to abandon the dunya. Zuhd for us has a different
meaning.

26

Sahl b. Sad said, A man came to the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) and said, O
Messenger of All!h, guide me to an action that if I were to do it, All!h will love me and
the people will love me as well. He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Be indifferent to
the worldly possessions and All!h will love you and be indifferent to what people own
and the people will love you as well. [Ibn M!jah]
From this, a better definition of zuhd is indifference.

Sulaym!n al-Darr!ni said, Never testify that someone has zuhd because zuhd is found in
the heart. He is saying that zuhd cannot be witnessed on a persons outside. Someone
may be very poor but they may not have zuhd because their heart is attached to wealth.
Someone may be extremely rich but his heart isnt attached to this dunya.

Sufy!n b. Uyaynah said, Zuhd is that when someone is given something, they thank
All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la). When something is taken away, they are patient.

Al-&asan al-Ba)ri said, Zuhd is holding the dunya in your hands and not in your heart.
If the dunya is attached to the heart, everything about the dunya will affect you.

Al-&asan al-Ba)ri was asked by his students, Imam, how did you attain zuhd? He said,
I attained zuhd by doing four things. I learned that my rizq (sustenance) will not be
taken by anyone by me, so my heart became content. I learned that no one else will do
my actions (amal) for me and Im responsible for them, so I started to work for them for
myself. I learned that All!h is closely watching me, so I became ashamed that All!h sees
me committing a sin. I learned that death is waiting for me, so I started to prepare my
provisions to meet my Lord.

What are the provisions we prepare to meet All!h? Our good deeds.

Sulaym!n al-Darr!ni said we cannot testify that someone has zuhd, so why did the
students of Imam al-&asan al-Ba)ri ask him how he attained zuhd? Isnt that a
testimony? Imam al-&asan al-Ba)ri was known as being very pious and he was wealthy
as well. The reason they phrased it this way is that they are not testifying to his ability
but phrased it in that manner out of respect for their teacher.

- Affluent Companions whose hearts were actually attached to the hereafter

Abu Bakr (ra+yAll$hu anhu) used his money for the benefit of the Muslim ummah. One
of the first things he did with his wealth was freeing slaves. Some of the best of the
companions were not poor and used their wealth to the benefit of Muslims. It is
praiseworthy to attain wealth as long as certain conditions are met:
1) The wealth is attained in a &al$l manner
2) One intends to use their wealth in the service and obedience of All!h (sub&$nahu wa
ta$la).
3) One holds their wealth in their hands and not in their heart. (If that wealth is taken
away from them, it doesnt destroy them)
4) One is always conscious of All!h regarding matters of wealth.
5) The person keeps in mind the wealth may be a test from All!h.
6) The person should not be arrogant and say that it is all from their hard work.
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Q!r%n was not blamed for having wealth but for having arrogance.
Musi c & Movi es

This is the only section of the class where we get into a fiqhi discussion and get into the
proofs and evidences of scholars. It is important to first define the terminology.
We live in a society where music is EVERYWHERE! At this point its almost considered part
of human culture.
The Isl ami c Rul i ng on Musi c
Terminology

! Ghin!: This term is almost all-inclusive. It includes all type of music and musical
instruments.

! Maz!m"r: This is the plural of mizm!r. This term refers to a specific type of musical
instrument: any type of wind instrument (reed, pipe, flute). This can also refer to the
human voice.

! Ma,!zif: This is the plural of miizah, which is a general term including all types of
musical instruments (wind, percussion, etc). There is no disagreement amongst
scholars regarding the meaning of this word.

! Duff: It is a percussion instrument which is flat and covered by skin on one side with
the other side open. It is played with the hand.

! Malai: This term is in the classical books. It is used interchangeably with ma,!zif.

The default ruling of music and musical instruments is that it is &al$l as long as it is not
used as an act of worship. There need to be evidences showing it is &ar$m.

Evi dences from the Qur !n

Those that seem to indicate a prohibition

! S)ratl-Najm v. 59-61:

All!h says, Do you not then wonder at this recital? And you laugh at it and do not
weep while you are engaged in vain play. Make sajdah to All!h and worship Him.

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Background on these $y$t: One of the dawah of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
was reciting the Qur!n to the people. Because it was such a strong tool of dawah, the
enemies of Islam attacked the Qur!n itself. The Quraysh would hire people to sing and
dance around the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) as he recited the Qur!n. This is
why these $y$t were revealed. When these $y$t came down and the Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) recited the words about making sajdah to All!h, instinctively everyone,
including the singers and dancers and mushrik)n, all fell into sajdah. When the leaders
of the opposition of Islam heard this, they became very upset. The people who were
there said they couldnt control themselves because the words were so strong.

This shows us that no matter how far someone is from Islam, they can still experience a
moment of clarity where they feel the power of Islam.

This verse is used by some scholars to say that musical instruments are impermissible
because of the word s$mid)n (engaged in vain play). S$mid)n comes from samada which
in classical Arabic refers to singing, dancing, and play. At the time of the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), when they would hire a songstress, they would say asmid"na
(enchant us with your singing). The scholars say this verse clearly reprimands those
engaged in vain play.

Does this evidence fulfill the conditions mentioned earlier? This is authentic. It is clear
enough? No.

! S)ratl-Isr$ v. 64:

All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) says, And lead to destruction with your voice those whom
you can.

All!h is speaking to Shay!$n. Some scholars were of the opinion that the voice of
Shay!$n is referring to musical instruments. The issue here is that there is not clarity.

Ibn *Abb!s said that this verse refers to any type of sound or speech that is used to call
people away from All!h.

What if there is music that does not lead people astray? This makes it an authentic but
not clear evidence.

There is no difference of opinion that if there is a type of music that leads people astray,
that is from the voice of Shay!$n and is &ar$m.

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! S)rah Luqm!n v. 6:

All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) says, Amongst the people are those who buy lahwl-&ad"th to
misguide the people from the path of All!h without any knowledge and to make a
mockery of it. For such people there is a humiliating punishment.

There were people who would spend money to hire songstresses and singers and
dancers.

To understand lahwl-&ad"th, we go back to what the scholars said and what the
companions have said about the meaning. The literal translation is: vain talk / vain
speech. Someone who says music is permissible uses the literal translation.

Abdull!h b. Mas%d, Ibn Umar, Ibn *Abb!s all say that lahwl-&ad"th refers to music and
musical instruments. Ibn *Abb!s said, I swear by All!h that lahwl-&ad"th refers to music
and musical instruments. There is no doubt in our mind that the term lahwl-&ad"th
refers to music and musical instruments.

Can we say that from this $yah musical instruments are impermissible? Lets translate
the $yah: And amongst the people are those who buy music / musical instruments to
lead people astray with knowledge and to make a mockery of it [Islam]. For such
people, there is a humiliating punishment. The question is: what if someone uses
music to not lead people astray?

Evidences of Those Saying Music is Permissible

! S)ratl-Isr$ v. 55:

And your Lord is most knowledgeable of whoever is in the heavens and the earth.
Indeed, we have preferred some prophets over the others, and to D!w%d we gave the
Zab)r.

How does this $yah show that music / musical instruments are permissible? According
to the Christian tradition, David used music and singing to preach the Psalms to the
people. In Bukh!ri: The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was speaking to Abu M%sa
al-Ashari and said, O Abu M%sa, you have been given a mizmaar from the mazamir of
the family of David. This shows that D!w%d (alayhil-sal$m) used musical instruments.

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Refutation: Mizm!r can refer to wind instruments or the human voice. Also, we dont
know for a fact that D!w%d (alayhil-sal$m) used musical instruments because there is
no authentic evidence. We can neither confirm nor deny the reports from the Christian
tradition on this. However, even if it were true, just because something was lawful for
an ummah before us does not mean it is lawful for us. For example: making sajdah out of
respect was lawful for ummahs before us. Also, because mizm!r is mentioned by the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) to Abu M%sa, we cannot say it is a wind instrument.
How do we know that? Go back and look at the &ad"th. Sometimes someone may
present you with a translation that is a wrong translation. Someone may say it says
you have been presented with a wind instrument From the &ad"th: The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was walking with (ishah (ra+yAll$hu anha) and they walked
past Abu M%sas house and they heard him reciting Qur!n and his voice was beautiful.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) because of this said this to him. This &ad"th is in
the chapter The Merits of Beautifying Ones Voice when Reciting Qur!n.

Therefore, this is not an evidence to show that musical instruments are permissible.

! S)ratl-Jumuah v. 11:

When they see some merchandise or some amusement, they rush towards it and leave
you standing. Say: That which All!h has is better than any amusement and
merchandise, and All!h is the best of providers.

Background: The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was giving khu!bah and they
heard a duff being played which signaled a caravan arriving to Mad#nah. The caravan
brought food, and the people were starving. The people rushed towards the caravan to
get food. This $yah was revealed. The amusement being referred to was the duff being
played.

How is this evidence used to say that musical instruments are permissible? It does not
say anything is wrong with the duff but that there is better than it.

Problem with this argument:
- Just because something is better than something else, it does not necessitate that
the thing is okay.
- The people left for the sake of food and not for the sake of the duff. Therefore, we
say this $yah is not strong enough to say that musical instruments are permissible.

Evi dences from the Sunnah

! Abu M!lik al-Ashari narrated the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, There will
be a group of people from amongst my ummah who will seek to declare the following as
&al$l: fornication and silk and wine / intoxicants and al-ma,!zif. [Bukh!ri]

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This &ad"th is the clearest and strongest evidence. The term in the &ad"th refers to two
things: they will indulge in these matters to the degree it is as if they are permissible or
that people will try to rationalize the permissibility.

This &ad"th is the reason why the scholars started to say musical instruments are
permissible.

Note: This &ad"th knocks the default ruling that musical instruments are &al$l out and
makes the new default ruling that musical instruments are &ar$m. Therefore, scholars
started saying other evidences why they think it is permissible.

Points of contention against this &ad"th:
- Authenticity: The majority of the scholars of &ad"th of this ummah are of the opinion
that this &ad"th is authentic. Bukh!ri considered this &ad"th authentic. Ibn Hajar, al-
Shawk!ni, and many others said it is authentic. Ibn Hajar has a detailed explanation
of this in his book Fat&l-B$ri and refutes the first person to say this &ad"th is not
authentic (Ibn &azm).
- This &ad"th only says musical instruments are impermissible when brought with
these other sins. They said this because the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said
and between each one instead of or.
Refutation: by that argument, it would mean alcohol is only &ar$m if paired music
and this is not what the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) meant by this &ad"th.

! Narration in Ibn M!jah: The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Some people in
my ummah will drink wine by calling it by other than its name. Merriment will be made
for them by ma,!zif and the singing of songstresses, and All!h will make the earth
devour such people. This &ad"th refers to a time to come and referring to a sign of a
Day of Judgment.

! Narration of Nafi who was the servant of Ibn Umar: Nafi and Ibn Umar were walking
with their riding animals and heard the sound of the shepherds flute and Ibn Umar
took his fingers and put them in his ears and said, O Nafi, do you hear that sound?
Nafi said, Yes. Ibn Umar moved away from the path. Ibn Umar said, Do you still
hear the sound? He said, Yes. They moved away even further. Ibn Umar said, Do
you still hear the sound? Nafi said, No. Ibn Umar said, I swear by All!h that I saw
the Messenger of All!h do what I did today.

! Narration of (ishah in Bukh!ri:
The Messenger of All!h (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) came [into my apartment] while
there were two adolescent girls with me singing the song of Bu*ath. He lay down on the
bed and turned his face away.
Then Abu Bakr came in. He scolded me and said, Mizm!r of Shayt!n in the house of the
Messenger of All!h (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam)?
The Messenger of All!h (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) turned towards him and said, Leave
them. And when he (Abu Bakr) was not paying attention, I signaled to them and they
left.
It was the day of , (d. The Abyssinians were playing with shields and spears. Then either
I asked the Messenger of All!h (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) or he asked me whether I
wanted to see them, and I said yes. So he had me stand behind him, with my cheeks
against his cheeks saying, Carry on O Ban! Arfadah until I became tired. He [then] said
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[to me], Is that enough? I said, yes, and said, then go ahead and go. [al-Bukh!r" and
Muslim]

Issues with this:
- Those who say musical instruments are permissible will say it refers to two women.
However, we know that it refers to two adolescent girls. (ishah was very young
and would have her friends coming over. The term refers to two girls who hadnt
reached the age of puberty.
- Also, some people say it was the Abyssinian tribe singing and dancing with
instruments, but this is not correct. They were doing a war dance and using swords
to show their prowess.

! The Messenger of All!h came to me on the day I was married. Some of our young girls
were playing the duff and singing laments for my relatives killed in the battle of Badr.
They began to sing and say, Amongst us is a prophet who knows what will happen
tomorrow. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Leave this and say what you
were saying before. [Bukh!ri]
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) couldnt tell the future and didnt want that
ascribed to him.

! The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, That which differentiates between &al$l
and &ar$m is the duff and human voice are used. [al-Nas!i]
He is saying that what makes it &al$l is when the human voice and duff are used.

1. The Islamic ruling of musical instruments
#ar$m from the &ad"th of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam).

2. The Islamic ruling of singing
The human voice is &al$l. There is no &ad"th saying that the human voice is
impermissible.
Issue: A woman past the age of puberty singing in front of non-ma&ram men. The
majority of the scholars say that this is not permissible because when a woman sings,
her voice becomes enticing to men. There is no problem for women singing in front of
other women. What if a mans voice becomes enticing for a woman? She should stop
listening to his voice because it is a fitnah.

3. The Islamic ruling of using the duff
Playing the duff is permissible. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said the
differentiating factor between &al$l and &ar$m when celebrating the nik$& is the human
voice and the duff.

In Sunan al-Tirmidhi: The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had returned from one
of his journeys from battle. When he returned, a young girl came to him and said, O
Messenger of All!h, I took a vow that if All!h returned you to us safely, I would sing and
play the duff for you. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, If you have made
this oath, then go ahead and do so. She sang and played the duff for the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). In the meantime, Abu Bakr walked in and she continued.
Uthm!n walked in and she continued. Ali walked in and she continued to play the duff.
Umar walked in, and she hides the duff underneath her. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi
wa sallam) laughed and said, Ya Ibn al-Kha''!b, even the Shay!$n is afraid of you. This
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is an authentic narration. The companions at that time and the generation after
listened to the duff, and it was not restricted to times of celebration. In order to restrict
the use of duff to a certain occasion, there must be an evidence.

4. The Islamic ruling of making sounds with ones voice that imitate musical instruments
(for e.g. beat-boxing and a capella)
There is a slight difference of opinion and it goes back to an u%)li issue: what is the
prohibition applied to: the physical musical instrument and playing it or the sound
that comes out of it? If we say that what is impermissible is the sound itself, then
anything that produces that sound is impermissible as well. If it is the actual
instrument, then if you use &al$l methods to imitate the sound, it is permissible.

The stronger opinion is that it is permissible. The only point of caution is that if it gets
too close to a musical instrument and you cannot tell the difference between that and
music, it is a grey area and makr)h.

5. The Islamic guidelines for &al$l music and nash"ds
1) Free from musical instruments apart from the duff. The majority of our ummah has
said that musical instruments are impermissible. The official stances of the four
madh$hib are that musical instruments are impermissible. There are individual
scholars who disagreed.
2) The lyrics and message of the song should be free from anything sinful.
3) It should not have a negative message.
4) The song should not praise anything or anyone sinful.
5) The performance of the song should not involve anything sinful.
6) It should not take away a person from their obligations, religious and otherwise.
7) It should not take over a persons heart and take them away from the remembrance
of All!h.

Conditions of al-Ghaz!li: (he considered musical instruments to be permissible; however,
people often use him to justify different types of music)
1) The song should not be played by non-ma&ram women
2) It isnt played with musical instruments that are characteristic of those played by
those who drink and commit sins. This would nullify the majority of music today.
3) It doesnt contain any vulgarity or bad speech.
4) It doesnt have any sounds that incites ones desires. For example: house music and
techno would not be permissible because people lose their mind when listening to
it.
5) The listener is not someone who doesnt love All!h with everything else

The Il l Effects of Musi c
The more you listen to music, the more you will want to listen to music.

! It deceives us into thinking its the way to deal with hard times or feeling down

When we are dealing with a tough time, we often turn to something like music. If
someone is having a bad day, they will listen to music to cheer up. When we are dealing
with a difficult situation and doing this, we are missing out on an important
opportunity All!h has given us. When we go through a hardship, it is a chance All!h is
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giving us to turn to Him. In the moment when you hit your limit, you fall into sajdah
and cry out to All!h in the last third of the night. You say, O All!h, I know that only
You have the power to help me and change my situation. If you havent experienced
this yet, then you are really missing out. This is a gift from All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la).

When someone is put in a trial or test, they go one of two ways: get closer to All!h or
get further away. All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) tells us that when the mushrik)n at the
time of Quraysh were put in a hard situation, they would turn to All!h in sincerity. It is
our human nature that when we are truly tested and tried, our fi!rah kicks in.

We all deal with hardships in life. This is an opportunity for us to come back to All!h
(sub&$nahu wa ta$la).

! It does a good job of keeping us ignorant of social and societal problems
While Shaykh Saad was in Egypt during one summer in college, they would go to the
masjid for the five daily prayers. Shaykh Saad was walking back to his apartment and
right outside there were some guys hanging out next to their car smoking and listening
to music. Two of the guys were wearing Guns and Roses t-shirts. At fajr time there was
a knock on the door from his friend waking him up for fajr. They rush out, and those
same guys are in the same spot doing the exact same thing. How will our ummah
progress if our young people are just doing nothing?

The majority of our ummah today is under the age of 21.

As powerful as music is, it will never bring you closer to All!h. Ibn al-Qayyim talks
about the effects of music and the relationship between music and the Qur!n and says,
It is not possible for music and the Qur!n to exist in the same heart. If we are honest
with ourselves, we can recognize good things from evil things. Good things are usually
surrounded by other good things and bad things are surrounded by other bad things.
When we are involved in goodness, it attracts other goodness.

The music industry today is a very poisonous environment. When All!h legislates
certain rulings, it is for the world and the whole society. All!h knows that on a societal
level, music is very detrimental. All!h told us the harms of alcohol far outweigh any
good.

! It can make us heedless of the purpose of our life

! It can make us heedless of death

! It does a good job of distracting us from the remembrance of All!h

! It can control our heart

! Spending time in sin

#ad"th of Nafi and Ibn Umar: This is the amongst the evidence used by scholars to say that
there is a difference between hearing and listening to music. One of them is forgiven for
us, and one of them is impermissible. Hearing is not listening on purpose but you are in a
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situation where there is music. Examples of hearing: at the grocery store, in an elevator, in
the mall. Scholars are of the opinion that we are not held accountable for this. Listening is
purposely listening to music.
When it comes to the issue of music, dont walk out of this class with a fatwa hammer.
People are at different levels in terms of "m$n and knowledge. People are willing to accept
different things at different times. Be very conscious of the level of "m$n people are at.
(m$n is a life-long struggle. We struggle with our nafs on a daily basis. It is a constant,
everyday struggle. Nobody will die in a perfect state. What is expected is that we die in a
state of trying to improve.
The fact that we have guidelines and certain types of music that are &ar$m forces us to be
creative. We should take it as a challenge and not give up. One form of entertainment is
poetry. Most people have the need to express themselves, and this is how we were created
as human beings.
Weddings & Guidelines
1) There is background music playing. This falls more under hearing and not listening.
It is better to minimize exposure to that type of sin.
2) Music is playing. If it is a family wedding, go and give them sal$ms and give the gift
and leave as soon as you can. Minimize your exposure to the &ar$m.

Musi c, Movi es, Pop-Cul ture, and Materi al i sm

! The main goal of the music and movie industry is to sell to you, so they make more
money
! Being obsessed with following the lives of celebrities and musicians
! Wanting to dress the way celebrities and musicians dress
! Wanting to use the products that celebrities and musicians use
! Craving attention, fame, and fortune
- 5 minutes of fame and the phenomenon of the viral video. The average person
thinks that if he makes a ridiculous enough video, they can become famous.
! Only 4 major companies now own ALL record labels and artists!
! All of Hollywood falls under a handful of major corporations!

Sometimes we forget the bigger picture. When we buy something because it is popular,
what is really going on?

Hol l ywood s Depi cti on of Love
Hollywood movies are so far away from real life and is now affecting people in real
relationships. Young people only know about relationships from what they see on tv and
in movies. Love takes work. All!h gives unconditional love at the beginning of marriage,
but it doesnt last for a long time because no one is perfect. The idea that people are
perfect causes so many issues in marriage. If you keep looking for perfection, you will
never find that person. Also, if you marry someone under the notion that they are perfect,
you will be let down really hard because no one is perfect. We forget the importance of
married people lowering the gaze. It is even more important because once you get
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married, you get used to the person and see all their flaws and if you are not lowering your
gaze, you will start to compare your spouse to others.

! The thrill of the chase
! The unrealistic notion that there is the one, the soul mate, and that this soul mate
will be absolutely perfect, with no flaws
! Movies capture the excitement of new relationships, but they wrongly suggest that
trust and committed love exist from the moment people meet
! Romantic comedies or rom-coms and the happy-ever-after scenario

There are effects of watching movies. The more television and movies you watch and
women the husband sees who look perfect, the husband will start comparing his wife to
them.

In the non-religious culture, it is considered totally normal to watch pornography. It is
seriously detrimental to relationships and causes problems with intimacy.

Di d you know? A study found the couples that watch romantic comedies are more likely to get
divorced.
Extended Adol escence and Pre-Adul ts
Extended adolescence refers to guys who are becoming adults but live a lifestyle of
someone who is a lot younger. Grown men will be married and with kids but his biggest
claim to fame in life is Star Wars.

The generations now are just not growing up and not manning up. There is a radical
reversal of sexual hierarchy and women are taking on the roles of men and doing better
than them.

Even in AlMaghrib seminars, there are more sisters than brothers. The sisters are more
dedicated to learning and improving themselves. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
would put young men in charge of armies. They were on a different level and viewed
themselves as men.

M%sab b. Umayr sacrificed so much for the sake of Islam, and he was sent as the
ambassador to Mad#nah.

! In the last two decades, Hollywood has focused heavily on depicting men in a pre-
adulthood stage
! What pre-adults are entertaining themselves with
! Radical reversal of the sexual hierarchy
! In Muslim history, men in their late teens and early 20s were very, very accomplished!

Watchi ng and Fol l owi ng Sports

Disclaimer: We are not referring to playing sports or physical activity. We are only talking
about watching and following sports and being obsessed with sports culture and a
particular team.
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Sports affects people and can take over their lives and make them forget their issues.
Sports play a societal role in engendering jingoist and chauvinist attitudes. Theyre designed to
organize a community to be committed to their gladiators. - Noam Chomsky
Professional sports: an opiate for the masses!
! The claim that sports is merely a harmless form of entertainment
! Target audience: young males
If this generation is kept dumbed down and tell them the most important thing in life is
whether there team won or lost, they become suppressed and wont succeed. The
players themselves dont have loyalty to their teams and it is about the money and
fame.
! In reality, how important is the outcome of a football or basketball game?
! Spending countless hours watching sports and playing video games
! Of all the entertainment forms, sports seem to hypnotize people like nothing else
! Grown men getting emotionally moved over a victory or loss of their team
! The sports $lim!

Fi ndi ng a Bal ance
! Knowing the difference between being entertained by sports and being consumed by
them
! Sports are supposed to be treats meant to be partaken in sparingly
! Moderation is key!
- Sports can be used to stay away from &ar$m forms of entertainment
- Sports can be used to bring people together
- Sports can be used for dawah

If you ever feel like you have gone to an extreme, just take account of yourself. Be aware
and conscious of what you are exposing yourself too. The dawah organization iEra took
advantage of sports gatherings. They wore t-shirts Is Life a Game? at the Olympics and
made dawah.

38

Chapter 3 | Physi cal Fi tness

The strong believer is better and more beloved to All!h than the weak believer and in both
there is good. ['a&"& Muslim]
What is important to be understood is that the mean meaning from this &ad"th is that the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) is speaking about a persons strength of "m$n. There is
goodness in both the person with strong and weak "m$n because they both still have "m$n.
The person with more "m$n can deal with more tests and trials and worship All!h better.
They are able to be more of a benefit to their families and others.
Can we say this &ad"th is referring to physical strength? Yes, with a condition. The
condition is: as long as that physical strength is used in the obedience of All!h (sub&$nahu
wa ta$la).
A physically strong believer is not better than a physically weak believer. The condition is
that their strength is used in the obedience of All!h. A person with physical strength can
do a lot more than someone who is physically weak. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) kept himself physically fit and physically strong. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) would wake up at half the night and pray all the way until right before fajr, and then
he would sleep a little until the adh$n for fajr, and then he would jump out of bed. This was
also the case with the companions and pious predecessors.
Certain acts of worship in Islam are physical in nature such as the five daily prayers. #ajj is
also physical. There is a lot of walking during #ajj. Older people may not be able to do
some of the rights of #ajj. When you put your body through those physical actions, it
makes your "m$n goes up.

Sports at the Ti me of the Prophet (%al l al l $hu al ayhi wa sal l am)

Many of these things were a normal part of life at that time. The norm at the time of the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was that people were physically fit. It was odd to see
someone who was overweight or obese. When Umar was khal"fah, he saw a man with a big
belly, and he said, What is this? The man said, This is from the barakah of All!h. Umar
said, No, this is from the punishment of All!h. Life at that time was very physical.
Bukh!ri & Muslim: The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) tells us of the signs of the Day
of Judgment and says, The best of generations is my generation, then the generation that
comes after them and then the generation that comes after them. There will come a people
who will testify when they have not been asked to testify. There will come people who will
take an oath and swear to do something and not fulfill their oath. Obesity will become
prevalent. When the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) mentions the signs of the Day of
Judgment, they are never positive.
This &ad"th tells us that as time goes on, the ummah will get less and less and they were
probably at their physical best at that time and we are getting less and less. This is what
some scholars say this is a meaning of the &ad"th.
39

The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was described as having broad shoulders and full
arms. When they described his stomach, they said he had squares. In the Battle of the
Trench, there was a shortage of food and people were weak at that time, but they were still
digging the trench around the city of Mad#nah. They came across a huge boulder they
could not break through, so they called the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). He
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) struck it a couple of times and it shattered into pieces. The
companions considered this one of the miracles All!h gave the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam).
All the prophets were physically fit and strong. N%$ (alayhil-sal$m) built the ark. Ibr!h#m
(alayhil-sal$m) and his son built the Kabah. This was the norm at the time of the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam).
The following sports have one thing in common: They are all used in warfare or defense.
These type of activities and skills were common in society.

1. Archery
! In the Sunnah
- Uqbah b. (mir narrated that he heard the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) say
on the minbar, And prepare for them what you are able of strength. Indeed
strength is archery, indeed strength is archery, indeed strength is archery.
[Muslim]
- Uqbah b. (mir said that he heard the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) say,
Verily, All!h will enter three people into Paradise with one arrow: the one who
made the arrow with a good intention, the one who shoots the arrow, and the one
who hands the arrow to the shooter. So shoot arrows and ride, and shooting arrows
is more beloved to me than riding. Everything a person plays with is futile except
archery, horse riding and playing with ones wife for these are truthful. [Abu
D!w%d & Tirmidhi]
Uqbah b. (mir used to practice archery until old age. He was asked why he did it, and he
said, I heard the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) say, Whoever learns archery and
then leaves it is not from amongst us. [Muslim] The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
did not like for someone to learn or have a skill and then let it go.
A persons peak age at the time of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was considered to
be 40. This is why the message of Islam was sent to the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
when he was 40 years old.
Did you know? It is thought that a form of archery was practiced as far back as the Stone
Age, around 8,000-9,000 BC.
! Who was the first person to shoot an arrow in Islam?
- Sad b. Abi Waqq!)
- In the Battle of U$ud, Sad was one of the Companions who remained with the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) to protect him. As he was shooting arrows, the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said to him, Shoot, Sad, may my parents be
sacrificed for you. [Bukh!ri]
40

He (ra+yAll$hu anhu) was with a group of companions in a town which is between
Makkah and Mad#nah. They were ambushed by Abu Sufy!n and his men. Some
narrations say there were about 200 men with Abu Sufy!n and only a handful of
companions. As the companions were surrounded, Sad started shooting arrows,
and he was so fierce that Abu Sufy!n got scared. Sad was one of the companions
defending the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) on the day of U$ud. The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Shoot, ya Sad. May my prayers be sacrificed for
you. This shows the love and trust he (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had in Sad.
! Archery as a Sport
- Salamah b. al-Akwa reported that the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) passed by
a group of new Muslims in the marketplace and said to them, Shoot arrows, O Banu
Ism!#l, for your father was an archer; shoot and I am with you. The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) then said to the others, Why dont you shoot? They
replied, How can we shoot when you are with them? He said, Shoot for I am with
all of you. [Bukh!ri]

2. Horse Ri di ng

! Horses mentioned in the Qur+!n
- By the (steeds) that run, with panting (breath), striking sparks of fire (by their
hooves), and scouring to the raid at dawn, and raise the dust in clouds, penetrating
forth with as one into the midst. [al-*diy$t, 100:1-5]
- And (He has created) horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and as an
adornment. [al-Na&l, 16:8]

! Horses in the Sunnah
- There is goodness in the forelock of horses until the Day of Judgment. [Bukh!ri]
Two things are mentioned: the forelock of horses and the reward of the hereafter.
What is the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) referring to by saying there is ajr in
the forelock? The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever keeps a horse
for the sake of All!h having faith and believing in the Promise of All!h, then its
food, drink, and droppings will be on their scale of good deeds on the Day of
Judgment. [Bukh!ri]
Meaning: When you take care of a horse, if you have the right intention, you will be
rewarded by All!h. J!bir b. Abdull!h said that when the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi
wa sallam) said this statement, the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had the
forelock of his horse in his hand and was twirling it, showing his love for it. The
forelock is the hair on their forehead.
- Do not cut the forelocks of horses, nor their manes or tails, for their tails are
swatters, their manes are protection from the cold and their forelocks have
goodness in them. [Abu D!w%d]
- Bukh!ri and Muslim: the people of Mad#nah heard a sound and as they were about
to leave and go find out what it was, they see the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
riding back into town. He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had already ridden out to the
41

edge of Mad#nah and back. He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) told them there is
nothing to worry about. He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) didnt even have a saddle.

! The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) as a Rider
- Anas narrated, The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was the best of people, the
most generous and the most courageous. One night the people of Mad#nah became
afraid [upon hearing a sound]. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) rode a horse
of Abu ,al$ah, so by the time the people came out of their houses, the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was returning saying, You are safe. [Bukh!ri & Muslim]
- The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had a horse named Murtajaz.

! Horse & Camel Riding as a Sport
- Everything a person plays with is futile except archery, horse riding and playing
with ones wife for these are truthful. [Abu D!w%d & Tirmidhi]
- Anas narrated, The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had a camel called A-b!
which was unbeaten. A Bedouin Arab came with some of his racing camels and beat
A-b!. The Muslims became upset at that, so the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
said, Indeed, it is the right of All!h that nothing in this world should be raised
except that it falls. [Bukh!ri]

3. Swi mmi ng

- Everything which isnt the remembrance of All!h is play and jest except for four: a
person walking between the archer and the target, horse riding, playing with ones
family, and learning to swim. [,abar!ni]
- Abu Ubaydah b. al-Jarr!$ said, Teach your children swimming and archery.
- Umar said, Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding. This is
interesting because there was not water nearby in Mad#nah. As the ummah
expanded, they became closer to water. They saw it as something could be
beneficial.

4. Runni ng/Spri nti ng

People would run and sprint for fun at that time.
- (ishah said, I raced with the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) and I beat him.
Much later on when I gained more weight, we raced again and he beat me. He then
said, This one is in place of the last one. [A$mad] The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) did this because he knew it would make (ishah happy. He knew (ishah
was competitive.
- Salamah b. al-Akwa narrates, We were once travelling and there was a man from
the an%$r who would win any race. He began to call out, Will anyone race me to
Mad#nah? I said to the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), O Messenger of All!h,
may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, allow me to race him. The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) replied, If you wish. So I raced him and won. [Muslim]

5. Wrestl i ng

Wrestling was a show of physical prowess and done just for fun.
- The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) wrestled a man by the name of Ruk!nah
and overpowered him. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was amongst the
42

people. The people were comfortable with him but still respected him. The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had the perfect balance with the people.
- Samurah b. Jundub wrestled R!fi b. Khad#j in the Battle of U$ud to show that he too
was eligible to fight in the Muslim ranks.

6. Fenci ng

This was common because Muslims had to defend themselves a lot. The women
defended the medical camp and had the ability to defend themselves. Having
modesty does not equal being frail, weak, and dainty.
! Fencing in the Sunnah
- The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) had a sword called Dhul-Fiq$r.

! Companions Famous for Fencing
- Ali b. Abi ,!lib fought and won a duel in the Battle of Badr.
- ,al$ah b. Ubaydull!h protected the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) in the
Battle of U$ud.
- Zubayr b. al-Aww!m, the first to unsheathe a sword in Islam.
- Abu Duj!h in the Battle of U$ud.
- Kh!lid b. al-Wal#d went through nine swords in the Battle of Mutah.

Isl ami c Perspecti ve on Sports and Physi cal Fi tness

! General Rul i ng

1. A strong believer is better than a weak believer. This refers to a persons "m$n and
can also refer to a persons physical strength as long as it is used in obedience to
All!h.

2. To rest the body is recommended. Our bodies have rights upon us. Even if we are
working for the sake of All!h, we have to take out time for ourselves.

3. Rest and play mean that a person is revitalized and energized for work and worship.
One intention we make is that if we feel rested and relaxed, then when we go to
worship All!h, we will be that much better and have that much more energy.

4. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions participated in sports.
It was part of their everyday life.

5. Laziness and gluttony are disliked in the religion. There are numerous narrations in
which the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) talked about this and he (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) made du$ to All!h seeking refuge from this. The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, For the children of (dam, it is enough for them to
eat a few morsels of food to keep their back straight. If they must eat, they should
fill 1/3
rd
of their stomach with food, 1/3
rd
of their stomach with drink, and leave
1/3
rd
of their stomach empty. This is moderation. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) said, The most hated vessel the son of (dam fills is the stomach. The
43

Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said the food of one is enough for two and the
food of two is enough for three and the food of three is enough for four. At least
once, go out with your friends and implement this &ad"th.

We should have a balance and be physically active and capable and watch what we eat.

! Gui del i nes for Pl ayi ng/Watchi ng Sports

1. As with everything in the religion, things should be done in moderation.

2. Sports should not detract a person from their obligations and responsibilities,
religious or otherwise.

3. Sports should be played/watched to seek the pleasure of All!h. Someone may ask,
Do we have to? You can just play sports to have fun, but why would you miss out
on that reward?

4. One should have the intention of rejuvenating their body so that they can worship
All!h better.
Make the intention to take care of your body so that you can worship All!h better
and be of better benefit to your family and others.

5. Time is precious and should not be wasted unnecessarily.
Take account of your time and make sure the majority of your day does not go into
just one thing.

6. The sport should not contain anything unlawful.
Make sure you are not sacrificing your d"n for the sake of a particular sport.

7. Sports, although competitive, should not lead to enmity, hatred, jealousy, etc.
There are two types of competiveness: 1) positive and 2) negative. Positive is
competing with some with the intention of i&s$n you want to get better and raise
the bar. The negative type is where it is just about winning at any cost and wanting
the other person to fail just so they can win.

44

Chapter 4 | Recreati onal Drugs

Introducti on
Principles established by the Shar"ah regarding what we consume:
1. All!h has divided things in the world into two types, good or permissible (al-tayyib$t, al-
&al$l) and evil or prohibited (al-khab$ith, al-&ar$m).

All!h says, Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find
written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is
right and forbids them what is wrong and makes l awful for them the good
thi ngs and prohi bi ts for them the bad thi ngs and relieves them of their burden
and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored
him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those
who will be the successful. [al-Ar$f, 7:157]
2. Everything that is harmful and life threatening for human beings is impermissible.
This refers to things for which there is a high probability it may harm you.

3. Just as it is impermissible to harm oneself, it is impermissible to harm others.
If we are involved in an activity in which we cause harm to others, this is something not
permissible in Islam. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, There is no harm or
no causing of harm. [Ibn M!jah]

All!h says, O you who believe, do not consume one anothers wealth unjustly, except only
that which is [lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not ki l l yoursel ves [or one
another]. Indeed, All!h is to you ever Merciful. [al-Nis$, 4:29]
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said: There is no harm or causing of harm (in
45

Islam). [Ibn M!jah]
Ci garettes

In the past, scholars differed in opinion regarding smoking because of lack of evidence
relating cigarette smoking to disease. Many considered it makr)h because of its foul odor,
drawing an analogy with garlic, etc.
Some FACTS about smoking cigarettes
5
:
- Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death.
- Smoking cigarettes leads to many different forms of cancer, including lung cancer,
throat cancer and colorectal cancer.
- Smoking cigarettes significantly increases the risk of developing heart and other
circulatory system disorders.
- Smoking cigarettes damages the lungs and places the smoker at risk for developing
additional serious lung conditions in addition to lung cancer.
- Smokers have an increased risk of infertility problems. Women may have more
difficulty achieving a pregnancy and men may have impotence issues.
- Once pregnant, a woman who continues to smoke increases the risk of having a
miscarriage, a baby with a low birth weight, or a premature infant.
- People exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk of developing lung cancer
and other conditions, such as heart disease.

The necessary concl usi on: Smoking is incredibly harmful and life threatening and,
therefore, evil. It is not permissible to indulge in, buy or sell, or even to offer it to others. It
is incumbent on a person who is addicted to smoking to make all efforts and get whatever
necessary treatment to quit.
For the last 30 years, the majority of ahll-sunnah wal-jam$ah scholars have clearly stated
that smoking is &ar$m.
Someone may say it hasnt been proven that smoking will kill you. Technically, this
statement can be made. In order to prove scientifically that smoking kills people, there has
to be a group of people cigarettes are given to and told to smoke to determine it, but this is
an unethical study. There is overwhelming evidence that shows smoking is incredibly
harmful.
Someone may say his uncle is smoking and 85 years old. Response: In the Shar"ah, rulings
are not based on exceptions.
Fi qh Issues Rel ated to Smoki ng
! Does smoking invalidate ones wu+u?
No. In the Shar"ah, very specific things break wu+u.

! Does smoking invalidate ones fast?
Yes. By the agreement of scholars, when something enters the body through the body,
as long as it is not done out of forgetfulness and the person is not forced to do it, it
breaks the fast.

3
hLLp://www.llvesLrong.com/arLlcle/110163-rlsks-smoklng-clgareLLes/
46

! It is makr)h to enter the masjid with the odor of cigarettes?
Yes. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said a person who has eaten garlic or
onions should not enter the masjid. Scholars by analogy say that smoking is offensive to
others as well.

! Is it permissible to use nicotine patches?
There is a little bit of difference of opinion. Most modern day scholars say it is
permissible to use them because it is a way for a person to commit smoking. A scholar
said it may be w$jib for a person to use it if it is the only way he can quit.
- Do they invalidate ones fast or wu+)? It does not invalidate the wu+u. There is
difference of opinion on if something enters your body from other than your mouth
and whether or not it breaks the fast or not. Some scholars say if it enters the body
from anywhere then it breaks the fast. Other scholars are of the opinion that if it is
something that is providing you with energy and sustenance, then it breaks your
fast, and if not, then it does not break your fast, and this is the stronger opinion.
Nicotine is not providing food or drink, so a nicotine patch does not break the fast.

Di d you know: Smoking was introduced to the Muslim countries by the Europeans around 1000 AH.
Shi sha

Di d you know: Shisha can be referred to as hookah, narghile, hubble bubble, and goza.
What i s Shi sha?
Shisha consists of a base, pipe, bowl and hose or a mouthpiece. Tobacco is placed in the
bowl, which is at the top of the pipe structure. An aluminum foil covers the bowl and small
charcoal pieces are then placed on the foil, which is punctured using a pin to gently heat
the tobacco. When smoked using the hose, smooth, sweet-smelling vapor is filtered
through the base containing water.
Isnt the tobacco used in shisha safer than regular tobacco?

When the smoke passes through the water in the shisha pipe, doesnt it remove harmful
substances from the smoke?

When it comes to the ruling, it is not different. The effects are similar, and shisha can be
more harmful to your body and others than cigarettes. How do we know that smoking
shisha is more harmful?
- More smoke is being taken into the lungs
- When someone smokes a cigarette, they will smoke for a few minutes. When
someone smokes shisha, people may sit there for a long time and smoke.
- Shisha is flavored tobacco and contains the same bad substances as cigarettes.
- People who never touch cigarettes will have shisha. It is more socially acceptable.
- Sometimes the pipe gets passed around and other diseases get passed around as
well.
- Shisha produces a lot more second hand smoke than cigarettes.
Rul i ng: It is &ar$m for Muslims to smoke shisha.
47

Some FACTS about smoki ng shi sha
6
:
Shisha smoke contains high levels of toxic compounds, including tar, carbon
monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens).
Shisha smokers are exposed to more carbon monoxide and smoke than are cigarette
smokers.
As with cigarette smoking, shisha smoking is linked to lung and oral cancers, heart
disease and other serious illnesses.
Shisha smoking delivers about the same amount of nicotine as cigarette smoking
does, possibly leading to tobacco dependence.
Shisha smoke poses dangers associated with secondhand smoke.
Shisha smoking by pregnant women can result in low birth weight babies.
Shisha pipes used in hookah bars and cafes may not be cleaned properly, risking the
spread of infectious diseases.

The necessary concl usi on: smoki ng shi sha i s i n fact more dangerous and
harmful than ci garette smoki ng
7
, and therefore i ts prohi bi ti on i s even more
severe!

The f i qh rul i ngs that appl y to ci garette smoki ng al so appl y to shi sha
smoki ng.

Al cohol

They ask you (O Mu$ammad) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: In them is a
great sin, and (some) benefits for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit.
[al-Baqarah, 2:219]

There is a big lesson to learn from the ruling of alcohol. In this $yah, All!h (sub&$nahu wa
ta$la) tells us there may be some benefits of alcohol. In the society at the time of the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), alcohol was very prevalent. The harms / sin that
comes out of alcohol is far greater.

Lesson: When All!h makes something &ar$m, it is done for our benefit. All!h is protecting
us from something that is harmful for us. We live in a society where alcohol is widespread
and we can see firsthand the effects alcohol has on society. For example: drunk driving
accidents, spousal abuse, child abuse, psychological issues.

6
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hookah/AN01265
7
http://www.quitshisha.com/
48

O you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, and al-an%$b (stone altars for sacrifices to
idols, jinn, etc.), and al-azl$m (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of
Shay!$ns handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be
successful. Shay!$n wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants
and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of All!h and from the prayer. So, will
you not then abstain? [al-M$ idah, 5:90-91]

There is consensus on the impermissibly of the consumption of alcohol.

Fi qh Issues Rel ated to Al cohol

! The ruling of medicines that contain a certain amount of alcohol
If the medicine containing alcohol is essentially an intoxicant, meaning if one were to
become intoxicated from drinking it in small or large amounts, then this is &ar$m. This
is not a matter of the amount of alcohol in it or how much one would have to drink to
become intoxicated. This is about medicines that are intoxicants and can intoxicate. In
that case, this is impermissible as the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said whatever
makes one drunk in large amounts, a little bit of it is also &ar$m.

! Is it permissible to use cosmetic products that contain alcohol? Is it permissible to wear
cologne or perfume that contain alcohol?
Generally what scholars would do here is take it back to the issue of whether or not
alcohol is najis, or impure. From there, if it is considered impure then you cannot have
it on your body, otherwise you can. However, scientifically, the alcohol found in
colognes and perfumes, methanol, is not the type that would intoxicate one. In fact,
drinking it would kill them. Khamr is what intoxicates; this type of alcohol would be
ethanol. Therefore, it seems that the stronger opinion is that it is permissible to wear
cologne, perfumes, and cosmetic products that contain alcohol. All!h (sub&$nahu wa
ta$la) knows best.

! Is it permissible to eat at restaurants where alcohol is served?
This is similar to the issue of music with the difference between !"#$ sam$ (hearing)
and !"#%$" istim$ (listening attentively). If one is going to a place known for alcohol, if
that is why people in general go there then that is not permissible. A bar, for example,
may have food, however, people do not go there to eat; they go there for alcohol.
However, if one is going to a restaurant that happens to have alcohol, people go there
to eat food and the alcohol is like a side matter that just comes with the restaurant.
Again, the issue is similar to music or may come down to music, too, as music is played
49

everywhere, you cannot just avoid all restaurants. It is better to avoid it and go to a
&al$l or Muslim restaurant, so long as it is not, for example, Hard Rock Caf. Every time
one exposes themselves to sin they are putting themselves in a position to negatively
affect their "m$n.

! Cooking with alcohol
Food that simply contains alcohol is impermissible. If the alcohol is cooked with it,
some might argue that the alcoholic content evaporates and thus is gone. However,
even if one cooks for ten to twelve hours, some ten to fifteen percent of the alcoholic
content still remains. The statement of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
mentioned earlier, that what intoxicates in large amounts is prohibited in small
amounts, applies here and thus food cooked with alcohol is also &ar$m. If it is a known
fact that the alcohol has changed to an entirely different substance then All!h
(sub&$nahu wa ta$la) knows best.

! Attending weddings where alcohol is served
Alcohol may not be as much an issue at Muslim weddings, however, there might be
other &ar$m things involved such as music. Shaykh. Saad avoids giving a general ruling
for these types of gatherings. The a%l, or default ruling, is that we should not be in a
place where something &ar$m is happening. However, one has to look at the situation
theyre getting into. One might be in a situation in which a close relative such as an
aunt, brother, or sister, invites them to the wedding though there is &ar$m in it. In
general we say do not go to such an event, but if one knows that being absent would
cause greater harm than the benefits of avoiding &ar$m, such as causing relatives to
hate each other, cut off family ties, never listen to the absentee, or destroy
relationships altogether, then some of the scholars say to just go. Give the sal$ms, give
the gifts, eat the food, make sure they see you there, and minimize your exposure to the
&ar$m. This is situational, if it can be avoided then it should be avoided. Otherwise one
should try and ask somebody of knowledge; speak to someone to get a more precise
answer.

Mari j uana

When khamr is mentioned in the Qur!n and Sunnah, it is not just referring to alcohol. All!h
is talking about intoxicants. There are studies now showing there are long term effects of
marijuana. There is a study showing long-term use can cause psychological problems.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said: Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is
&ar$m. [Muslim]
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Khamr is that which fogs the mind.
Umar (ra+yAll$hu anhu) declared from the pulpit the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
said, Khamr is that which befogs the mind. [al-Bukh!ri & Muslim]
Umm Salamah (ra+yAll$hu anha) said, The Messenger of All!h (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
forbade all kinds of intoxicants and relaxants. [A$mad, Abu D!w%d]
Did you know? Hashish and marijuana both originate from the female cannabis plant, the cannabis
sativa. Cannabis is the generic name for hashish and weed.
50

Although marijuana is sometimes considered a soft drug, it still very much intoxicates a
person. It weakens ones senses and the capability to reflect. Scientific research has proven
that marijuana has much harm and could lead to one becoming addict to other hard
drugs.
The necessary conclusion: There is no doubt that marijuana is considered an intoxicant; it
therefore takes the ruling of alcohol in being impermissible.
Did you know: Hashish was first introduced to the Muslim world in the sixth century AH and the
beginning of the seventh century when the Tatar state emerged. It was for this reason that the four
imams did not discuss the Islamic ruling of it.
Medi cal Mari j uana
It is permissible to use with the following conditions:
1. If there is an absolute need for it
2. Nothing else can serve the same purpose
3. The decision to use it must be made by a trustworthy Muslim doctor

If someone you know is in this situation, still speak to a scholar who is knowledgeable and
explain the situation to them and get a fatwa from them.

51

Chapter 5 | Soci al Medi a

Introducti on
There is no denying the fact that the Internet and social media have a huge impact in our
lives. These days it is said: If youre awake, youre probably online!
8

There used to be this idea that Facebook and Twitter were &ar$m. The conversation has to
move beyond that point because the majority of people are online.
Some facts and numbers:
1. Americans spend a quarter of their time online on social media sites.
9

2. Americans spend more time on Facebook than they do on any other website.
10

3. 25% of Brits spend more time online than asleep.
11

4. 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using
entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week).
12

Studyi ng Isl am Onl i ne

Almost every day, the way we study Islam is changing and evolving from books, to tapes, to
CDs, to mp3s, to videos, to live videos, and now complete online classes.
Many institutes have begun offering live Islamic classes online. There is much one can
benefit from.
We have a lot of resources available to us online.
! Thi ngs for an onl i ne student of knowl edge to watch out for:
These apply to studying Islam in general as well (not just online).

1. Information overload!
It is very easy to be overwhelmed with all of the information that is out there. A person
who tries to gain knowledge all at once, the knowledge will leave them all at once.

2. A lack of self-discipline
Self-discipline is a requirement to seek knowledge. Without it, you will not get
anywhere.

3. A lack of motivation.
Some ways to get motivated and stay motivated:

8
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/education/20wired.html?_r=1
9 http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/social-media-report-spending-time-money-and-going-mobile/
10 http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/social-media-report-spending-time-money-and-going-mobile/
11
In a study conducted by Jon Blumberg from Sky Broadband.
12 A national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. http://www.kff.org/entmedia/mh012010pkg.cfm

52

- The intention is very important when it comes to seeking knowledge.
Having the correct intention makes sure that you are being rewarded for the time
you are spending seeking knowledge. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) told
us why people seek knowledge and mentioned the wrong intentions: First and
foremost, the one who gains knowledge to argue against you. To boast amongst the
scholars. To turn the faces of people towards themselves. Whoever seeks
knowledge for these reasons, this person is in the Hellfire.

Purify your intention and constantly work on your intention and remind yourself
that you are seeking knowledge first for the sake of All!h and then to remove
ignorance from yourself and the people around you and to make it a means for you
to enter Paradise.
Having the correct intention puts barakah in the knowledge they are seeking. They
will be able to sustain that knowledge.

- Realize that the merits that apply to a traditional student of knowledge apply to you
as well. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) told us that everything in creation
makes du$ for the one who seeks knowledge. The angels surround the places
where All!h is being mentioned. All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la) said, It is only the
ulem$ who truly fear All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la). This shows that the more
knowledge we seek, the closer we can get to All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la).

- Start small. Start with the basics and build upon that. Pick the basics in each
subject and start with that.

- Set goals for yourself. Dont seek knowledge haphazardly. Set goals for yourself:
subjects you want to study and how you will go about doing it. The goals you set for
yourself should neither be too easy and neither too hard. They should be just
challenging enough. If you are not in the habit of reciting any Qur!n, then tell
yourself you will recite 3 $yahs from the Qur!n and read the translation and study
the tafs"r.

! How to get the most out of your onl i ne cl asses:

1. Take rigorous notes; dont rely on the information or PowerPoint that is provided.
Take notes for yourself. This helps you learn the knowledge.

2. Prepare yourself for your online class just as you would prepare yourself for an in-
person class.
Get enough sleep, eat healthy, and even the way you dress. Everyone who attends
Islamic lectures should try to dress well. When you wear nice clothes, you tell yourself
that the gathering is important to you.

3. Get rid of all the distractions.

4. Keep in contact with your teacher.
Some ways to supplement the lack of in-person interaction with your teacher
- Most communities have a person of knowledge living there. Take advantage of
people in your own community.

53

5. Keep a journal, an actual journal, physically writing things down!
Every time you come across a gem, write it down in your notebook.
Getti ng a Fatwa from Shaykh Googl e and Shaykh Waki
13
(Wi ki pedi a)

! Distinguishing between research/general knowledge and getting a fatwa
It may be okay to go online to get some general knowledge or do some general research,
but it is not okay to go online for a fatwa.

- We are usually in a hurry to get an answer. We often take the knowledge given to
us at the expense of the credibility of the source.

- We may try to learn and understand complex concepts without the basis to
understand them. If you dont have the tools to look at the proofs and evidences,
you may end up getting more confused or having doubts in the issue itself.

- Someone may take away something from the fatwa that was not intended by the
fatwa. You have then based your d"n off of your understanding. Sometimes they are
translated online, and the translation may not be good or according to their own
opinion.

- Taking a specific fatwa and applying it generally. Sometimes a fatwa is given for a
specific person in a specific case.

- Not all fatwas can be applied to everyone. It may be only for a particular time /
place / situation.

Example: Shaykh Saad studied Hanbali with a shaykh 5 days a week from a%r to
maghrib. One student said, Shaykh, is it permissible for me to wear pants? The
shaykh said, No, you shouldnt wear trousers. A year later, the shaykh was taking
him to the airport, and Shaykh Saad was wearing a thawb. He asked, Where are
your pants? Shaykh Saad said he would change in the airport. He asked, Didnt
you say it is impermissible to wear pants? The shaykh said, If you are a student in
Mad#nah and living there, it is odd to be wearing pants. The custom of the students
is to not walk around wearing pants, and you would look very odd and it would be
lib$sl-shu&rah and cause unnecessary attention. In America, a thawb would be lib$sl-
shu&rah. My opinion is that when you go to America, you shouldnt wear thawbs.
The fatwa needed to be understood properly.

- Sometimes you may look up a particular issue online and think there is only one
answer with no difference of opinion but there may be a difference of opinion.
Similarly, you may think there is a big difference of opinion but that may just be
what is translated. Example: if you Google if music is &al$l, then the articles you
read may lead you to believe that there is a big difference of opinion and a large
number on both sides, but this is not the case. The vast majority of the scholars of
our ummah are of the opinion that musical instruments are impermissible.

13
Waki b. Jarr!$: one of the famous teachers of al-Imam al-Sh!fii
54

- You may not be able to distinguish between someone who gives dawah and a
scholar. Just because someone has a lot of YouTube videos, you may assume they
are a scholar but they may just be a student of knowledge or a day. They may not
be qualified to give Islamic legal verdicts.

! The problems with getting fatwas from the internet
- Since we usually want an immediate answer, it can come at the cost of the
credibility of the source.
- We may try to learn a complex concept without understanding the basics.
- It can lead us to facing contradictions and possibly bringing about doubts that we
may not be equipped to deal with.
- Taking a specific fatwa and applying it to scenarios that it may not be applicable to.
- We may understand from the fatwa that which was not intended.
- Those conveying the fatwa may not be doing so properly.
- Not understanding that there could be another opinion regarding the issue.

! It is always best to get fatwas from a scholar, teacher, or d$i in person instead of relying
upon information found online.
It is always better to go in person to someone who is qualified and talk to them. If you
cant find a scholar, go to an imam or student of knowledge.

Ti me
For the next 24 hours, the next time you check your Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or e-
mail, say one piece of dhikr. A good thing to say is bismill$h. Therefore, your time is not
wasted and insh$All$h you protect yourself.
On the authority of Ibn Abb!s, the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said: Take
advantage of five things before five: your life before your death, your health before your
sickness, your spare time before your work, your youth before your old age, and your
wealth before your poverty. [al-&!kim]
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, The feet of the son of (dam shall not move
on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked of four things: his life as to how he spent it, his
youth as to how he used it, his knowledge as to what he did with it and his wealth as to
where he got it and how he spent it. [al-Tirmidhi]
It is not uncommon for people to obsessively check their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The first thing some people do when they wake up is open their Twitter and
Facebook apps!
Push-notifications we get i mmedi ate updates, no matter what we are doing!

How much time do we spend online compared to the time we spend remembering All!h?
Are We Addi cted to Soci al Medi a?
The Bergen Facebook Addi cti on Scal e
14

14
hLLp://www.zdneL.com/blog/facebook/Lhe-slx-slgns-of-facebook-addlcLlon/12731
55

The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale is based on six basic criteria, where all items are
scored on the following scale: (1) Very rarely, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5)
Very often.
Here are the six warning signs:
- You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan use of Facebook.
- You feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.
- You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems.
- You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.
- You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.
- You use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.

Scoring often or very often on at least four of the six items may suggest that you are
addicted to Facebook.
Di d you know? People can suffer from Facebook Withdrawal.
The Onl i ne Tongue

People say things they would never say in real life.
Argui ng and debati ng onl i ne
- Because of anonymity, people often say things that they would never say in person
- Youll always find someone to argue with online, youll always find someone who
disagrees with you, and youll always find people to egg you on
- The problem with arguing and debating online
Being argumentative is looked down upon. In Bukh!ri: The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi
wa sallam) said, The most hated people to All!h are the most quarrelsome. It usually
becomes about a persons own ego and proving the other person wrong. The more a
person argues, the more they have a dead heart.
- How to deal with those who like to argue: ignore them. Oscar Wilde said, Always
forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much. Eventually they will just go
away.

Watchi ng Our Onl i ne Tongue
- Social media can become a facilitator for backbiting, slander, and rumor mongering.
These are major sins.
- Re-tweeting or sharing without thinking. We dont want to be amongst those who
spread incorrect knowledge.
- Cathartic sharing: this is sharing anything and everything just to vent. They often tend
to be passive aggressive. As soon as someone knows who you have talked about, then
you have fallen into backbiting. This is the danger of posting things and not thinking
about what you are posting.
- The peanut gallery: These are people who sit online and just criticize everything.

Real Li fe vs. Onl i ne
- Does how we represent ourselves online match up with how we are in real life?
56

People most the most amazing things online. We need to make sure we dont fall into
hypocrisy and dont do things for the wrong reasons. People may post Islamic things on
Twitter just in order to get more followers. Check your intentions.
- Apathetic posting
This is posting good things online but it doesnt affect your own self.
- Hypocrisy
- A lack of sincerity
- Seeking the praise of others

Onl i ne Modesty
Lowering your online gaze!
Just like in real life, we should be lowering our gaze online. All!h will question you about
how you dealt with the situation.
- Facebook stalking: The main reason people do this is because of anonymity.
- The danger of anonymity

Interacting with the opposite gender
- It is easy for the conversation to get informal and eventually inappropriate when
online since no one is watching
- Whats not appropriate to say in person is not appropriate to say online!
- Keep it formal, respectful, and to the point

Check yourself and see what is appropriate and what is going too far.

Our Pri vate Li fe vs. Our Onl i ne Li fe

Make the distinction between these. As Muslims, it is part of our d"n to separate between
our private and public lives. Sometimes we share things online out of a desire of praise or
to satisfy our own egos. We need to check our own hearts. It is an issue when our self-
worth is based on Facebook likes. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, If All!h
loves someone, He calls Jibr#l and says, O Jibr#l, I love so-and-so, so love this person. Jibr#l
calls out to the angels, All!h loves this person, so love this person. The angels cause the
people on earth to love that person. [Bukh!ri]

Putti ng Our Si ns on Di spl ay

The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, If you have no shame, then do as you wish.
[al-Bukh!ri]
- Documentation of sins!
57

- The sin in and of itself is a sin, and putting it on display and showing it to others is
an added sin
- The gravity of having people like the display of your sin
- Pressing like on the sins of others, showing your love for it
- Befriending the overtly sinful on Facebook and Twitter
- When people go back and look at your Facebook Timeline after you die, what will
they see?

Keepi ng Your Pri vate Li fe Pri vate
Lists are organizing your friends into different groups. You can have one list for close
family and another list for extended family. The next time you post something online, you
can select who gets to view it.
With the widespread use of not only blogs and Twitter, but also YouTube, people are
sharing more and more of their private lives. YouTube goes to a whole new level as people
can now see and hear you. Since the curtains are now pulled back, they can get a peak (or
more) inside your household!
As Muslims, we make a clear distinction between our public and private lives.
Posting every single thing we are doing, eating, wearing, etc. creates a false sense of
self-importance.
Always being concerned with what people think of us.
Nothing is really private on Facebook.

A husband and wife are closer to each other than anyone else because they share things
only with each other. When someone shares everything online, they are telling their loved
ones that they are not special. Subconsciously it has an effect on relationships.

Shari ng Si ns Onl i ne

Scholars said that when a person puts their sin on display, they are committing two sins:
the sin they committing and the sin of exposing their own sins. The Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, All of my ummah can be forgiven except those who publicize their
sins. [Bukh!ri and Muslim]

When we commit a sin and want to hide it, the guilt we feel is positive. This guilt leads
them to make tawbah and return to All!h. When a person feels shy and ashamed, this is a
positive thing.

Everyone will have a final Facebook post, and no one knows which post it will be. Our
actions in this life have an effect on our $khirah as well. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) said, A person who does something good and people follow that person in
goodness, then that person has the reward of that goodness and that of everyone who
follows them. A person who starts something bad and people follow them in that, then
they will have the weight of that sin and the weight of everyone who followed them in that
sin until the Day of Judgment.

Look at your Facebook and Twitter and see if you are happy with what is there. Will you be
happy about what is there or regretful?
58

Looki ng for a Spouse Onl i ne

If you are i nterested i n someone speci fi c for marri age, here are some
general gui del i nes:
1. Do not contact them personally. Contact their wali or a third person who can serve
as an intermediary. If you cannot find any other way but to contact them
personally, ask to speak to their wali, keep it short, to the point, and do not engage
in any other conversations.
2. Do not go through their profile looking for pictures. Ask their wali or the third party
to send you pictures or information with their permission.
3. If you must, Google them, but be careful not to delve into personal pictures, or
personal conversation that happen to be available for you to see.

I want to get marri ed. Can the Internet hel p?
Short answer: Possibly.
Long answer: Getting married through people you know, people in your community,
family, friends, etc. makes things a lot easier and will protect you from falling in to sin. The
Internet can serve as a tool to help, but its not the place to go on a blind search. Blindly
searching online can open the door for Shay!$n and can easily lead to crossing the
boundaries set by All!h.
Matri moni al Websi tes
! General advi ce
- Purify your intentions, and then purify them again every time you log on.
- Cut off communication at the first sign of inappropriate and un-Islamic behavior.
- Be completely honest about what you say regarding yourself.
- If you are embarrassed about being on a matrimonial website, then this may not be
the best option for you.
- If you are not comfortable with being on a matrimonial website, dont do it just
because you feel pressured to get married.
- Trust and rely upon All!h and do not lose hope in marriage if this avenue did not
work. All!h can create many more avenues.

! Advi ce for the si sters
- Keep your wali involved in the whole process, every step of the way.
- Stay clear from interacting with a brother in private.
- Always speak to your wali before sharing any personal information and make sure
he knows what is being shared.
- When in doubt about the appropriateness of something, speak to your wali or a
person of knowledge about it.
- Make sure the brother is capable of getting married and isnt there to just waste
your time or get involved in a &ar$m relationship.

! Advi ce for the brothers
- Always ask to have the sisters wali involved in the process.
59

- Be completely honest about who you are and what your accomplishments are.
- The moment you feel like you are not interested, or you wouldnt marry this person,
cut off communication.

! Red fl ags
- The other person shies away from having the wali involved.
- Profiles with pictures but no information.
- Someone who asks for a lot of personal information without telling you anything
about themselves.

60

Chapter 6 | Laughi ng, Joki ng & Pranks

Some faces that Day will be bright. Laughing and rejoicing. [S)rah Abasa, 80:38-39]
All!h is describing people laughing and rejoicing at the news of Paradise. This shows that
no matter how much you laugh and joke and have fun in this life, nothing will be close to
the moment you are given the news of Paradise. That will be the happiest experience.
Abdull!h b. &!rith said, I never saw anyone smile more than the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi
wa sallam). [Tirmidhi]
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) knew better than all of us that the happiest day will
be when we are given the news of Jannah on the Day of Judgment, but that didnt stop him
from being cheerful in this life. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was the most
cheerful and happy out of everyone. We understand that smiling is part of our character
and part of who we are as Muslims. Part of good character is how you treat people and how
your mood is with people.
Smi l i ng i n Isl am

! Smiling is from the beautiful character of a Muslim.
! Smiling, greeting people nicely, and a pleasant word should be our default settings.
! To smile in the face of your brother is charity. [Tirmidhi]
! Never belittle a good deed, even if it is meeting your brother with a happy face.
[Muslim] The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) mentions something here which
not everyone would think is a good deed. That one smile or one good deed we did
may tip the scales for us to enter Paradise. That single smile could be that one good
deed that grants us Paradise.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, I have been sent to perfect good
character. Smiling has also been referred to as charity. There are two parties that
benefit from charity. The first is the party the charity is being given to. We smile
for the benefit of the other person and make them feel good. The person giving
charity also benefits. We know it is a good deed. The more we smile, the more good
deeds we accumulate. Even when people give a fake smile, studies show that even
that type of smile can affect your own mood and the other persons mood.
General Atti tude i n Everyday Li fe
The Muslim is:
- Pleasant, kind and polite
- Respectful of elders and merciful to youngsters
- Loves for others what he loves for himself
- Patient and forgiving
61

- Safeguards others from his harm in any way, shape or form
- Thinks good of others
- Enters happiness into the hearts of others
- Strikes a balance between being serious and chilled
- Knows the time for seriousness and the time for joking
Many people think the default for Muslims is that we are upset and sad and that every once
in a while it is okay to smile. However, the default state of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) was that he was cheerful and would smile and was pleasant to be around. Every
once in a while when he was faced with hardship, he would get sad. Muslims do have a
difficult time in many parts of the world, but our lives is never as difficult as the life of the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). We should always strive to be cheerful and pleasant
One of the things Umar (ra+yAll$hu anhu) disliked was when people walked around being
serious for no reason. He would walk in the streets of Mad#nah to hear the complaints of
people. He came across a man walking with his back hunched over. Umar (ra+yAll$hu
anhu) asked him, Is everything okay? The man said, Im fine. Umar understands that
this man is just doing this to show he is pious. Umar said, If you are fine, then straighten
your back before I beat you with my stick. Do not kill the religion of Islam. Do not show
people what Islam is not.

Joki ng and Pranks

Categori es of Jokes
! Permissible jokes
! Disliked/impermissible jokes
Rul i ng of Jokes

One which brings happiness and relief, causing no harm or ill feeling is sunnah. The main
purpose of us making a joke is to bring happiness to other people. If the person you joke
with or played the prank on is unhappy or upset, then the purpose of the joke is defeated
and it is no longer a praiseworthy joke.
62

! The Prophet (%al l al l $hu al ayhi wa sal l am) Joki ng
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) Joking with Children
- Anas narrated that the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said to his brother, O
Abu Umayr, what happened to your bird? [Bukh!ri & Muslim]
Abu Umayr was a young child and had a pet bird he named al-Nughayr. The
scholars interpreted this &ad"th in two ways: either something happened to his bird
and the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) wanted to console him or the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was simply asking him how his bird was. No one cared
about this pet bird and it meant nothing to anyone except Abu Umayr. The
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) understood that, which is why in his busy
schedule he took time to go to this young child and ask about his bird.

- Ma$m%d b. Rab# said, All I remember from the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
was that he threw water on my face when I was five years old. [Bukh!ri & Muslim]
Ma$m%d b. Rab# is recalling his childhood. He is thinking back and has this vivid
memory. How will people remember us?
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) Joking with Members of His Household
- Sahl b. Sad narrates that the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) came upon Ali
whilst he was sleeping in the mosque. When he stood he was covered in dust, so the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Stand up, O father of dust. [Bukh!ri &
Muslim]
Ali loved being called by this nickname.

- (ishah narrates that she once complained of a headache, so the Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, Even though Im alive? I forgive you and will make du$ for
you. She replied, Oh, by All!h I think you want me to die, and if that were to
happen, by the end of that day you would probably be with some of your other
wives. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Now I have a headache. I
think I should write to Abu Bakr and his son advising them that people shouldnt
speak or hope. [Bukh!ri & Muslim]
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) Joking with Other Companions
- The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) once gave &udhayfah a cloak in which he
would lead the prayers. &udhayfah slept in it until the morning, and when he
awoke, the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Wake up, sleepy head.
[Muslim]

- The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) hugged Z!hir from behind in the
marketplace and said, Who will buy this slave [of All!h] from me? When Z!hir
looked back and saw who it was, he leaned back. He said, O Ras)lull$h, people wont
pay anything for me. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Certainly, O
Z!hir, with All!h you are extremely valuable. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) teaches him a lesson while joking with him. He (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) is
teaching him that his worth is not dependent on his looks. His worth depends on
his relationship with All!h (sub&$nahu wa ta$la).
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The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) Playing with Peoples Names
- (ishah he would sometimes call her (ish.
- Anjashah a servant of the Prophet ()allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), would sometimes
be called Anjash.
- Abu Hurayrah the famous companion, would sometimes be called Abu Hirr.

! The Compani ons Joki ng wi th the Prophet (%al l al l $hu al ayhi wa sal l am)

- Awf b. M!lik In the Battle of Tab%k, he requested permission to enter into the tent
of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
granted him permission, so Awf asked, Can all of me enter? The Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) replied, Yes. All of you. [Abu D!w%d & Ibn M!jah]

- Abu Hurayrah narrates, There was a Bedouin man once in the presence of the
Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A
man from the people of Paradise will seek the permission of All!h to farm. All!h will
ask him, Do you not have what you desire? The man will say, Yes, but I like to
farm. The seed will grow so big that the plant will be as tall as a mountain. All!h
will say, O son of !dam, nothing will ever satisfy you. The Bedouin man said, By
All!h, that man in Paradise must be from the Quraysh or the an!"r for they are
people of agriculture. As for us, we dont take to agriculture. The Prophet (!allall"hu
alayhi wa sallam) laughed at that. [Bukh!ri]

- There was a companion Nuaym!n who was known to joke a lot. He went out on a
journey with Abu Bakr and another companion. Abu Bakr was doing the business
deals. Nuaym!n was sent to the marketplace to buy food and supplies. The other
companion was in charge of the food. Nuaym!n was sitting there looking at the
other companion cooking the food. Finally the food is finished, and Nuaym!n asks
for some food. The companion said no and that they had to wait for Abu Bakr to
come back. Nuaym!n goes back to the marketplace and says, I have a slave for
sale and will give a very good price because there is one flaw with him. They ask
what is wrong with him, and Nuaym!n says he has a big mouth and makes up
stories which arent true and he may even try to convince you he is not a slave.
Someone agrees to buy the slave. Nuaym!n leads him back to the camp from far
away and points out the companion. They get a rope and tie a lasso and grab him
and start to pull him away. The companion starts freaking out. Abu Bakr returns
and says he is not a slave and they let him go. The narrator says this was mentioned
to the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), and the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) started laughing.

- During the khil$fah of Uthm!n, there was a blind man in Mad#nah who people
would help get around. He needed to use the bathroom, and Nuaym!n takes the
blind man to the masjid. People start asking him if he knows where he is. They tell
him he is in the masjid. He gets very upset and said, Who was the young boy who
brought me here? They said, That was Nuaym!n. He said, Next time you see
Nuaym!n, let me know. Eventually Nuaym!n hears he is being sought after. He
sees the blind man and says, I heard you are looking for Nuaym!n. I know exactly
where he is. He takes the blind man to the khal"fah. They walk up right behind
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Uthm!n and says, Nuaym!n is right here. The blind man takes the stick and hits
Uthm!n. Uthm!n was lighthearted and let it go.

- Al-Miqd!d was sitting with the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) and starts
laughing more and more. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) asks him why he
is laughing, and he is laughing so hard he cannot answer. The Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) then starts laughing. Al-Miqd!d falls on the ground with his hands
on his stomach laughing. Other people start laughing.

- They would sit and sing nash"ds in the masjid of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) in his presence.

- The companions of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) would take melon rinds
and throw them at each other. This happened in the masjid of the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam).
They had balance. When the matter became serious, they were men.
! The Schol ars of the Past Joki ng
- A man came to Abu &an#fah and asked, If I take off my clothes and bathe in the
river, should I face the qiblah or another direction? Abu &an#fah replied, It is best
to face the direction of your clothes just in case they get stolen.

- Ashab was a famous scholar of &ad"th. Some people came to Ashab and asked him
to narrate &ad"th to them, so he agreed. He said, Ikrimah heard Ibn Abb!s say that
the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Two things will not be found in a
believer. Ashab then went quiet. The students asked, Well, what are the two
things? He replied, Ikrimah forgot the first one and I forgot the second one.
Permi ssi bl e Jokes
1. Truthful
Abu Hurayrah asked the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), You joke with us? He
replied, Yes, but I only speak the truth.
Exception: if you are telling a joke and the audience knows it is not true.
2. It should not make mockery of any aspect of the religion
It is better to err on the side of caution.

3. A person shouldnt go to extremes in joking
4. Choosing the appropriate time and place
5. Should not harm or offend others
6. Should not include swearing, backbiting, belittling or making fun of others
Impermi ssi bl e Jokes
1. Lying, harming others or doing something &ar$m
2. Making fun or joking about the religion
And do not take the signs of All!h in jest. [al-Baqarah, 2:231]
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3. Taking someones possessions as a joke
Exception: The person knows and it will not harm them or hurt them in any way.
Do not take the possessions of your brother as in jest or seriousness, and whosoever
takes the stick of his brother, let him return it. [A$mad]
4. Scaring someone as a joke
It is impermissible for a Muslim to scare or frighten another Muslim. [Abu D!w%d]
5. Using a weapon as a joke
Whosoever points a weapon towards his brother will be cursed by the angels until he
puts it down, even if it be his paternal or maternal brother. [Muslim]
Pri nci pl e: Laught er and j oki ng can be r ewar ded or puni s hed by Al l !h.
Maki ng s omeone l augh t o ent er happi nes s i nt o t hei r hear t s i s
r ewar ded, wher eas l aughi ng at s omeone t o mock and bel i t t l e t hem i s
s i nf ul .

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Chapter 7 | Soul s are Li ke Sol di ers Grouped i n Ranks

Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except the pious. [al-Zukhruf, 43:67]
A person is on the religion of their close friend, so let each of you look to who is their close
friend. [Bay$aqi]
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Souls are like soldiers grouped into ranks.
Those that recognize one another unite in harmony, and those that do not recognize one
another become incompatible. Imam Ibn Hajar explains this &ad"th and says it probably
refers to the fact that All!h created our souls before All!h created our bodies, and when our
souls are in our bodies, our soul may recognize another soul from before the body was
made. If it recognizes that soul, it feels harmony to that soul. If they dont recognize that
soul, they have an aversion to that soul. Sometimes when you meet people you have a
feeling that you are going to be good friends.
All!h says, Close friends on that Day will be enemies except those who are righteous.
All!h is telling us that we are going to make a lot of friends but the only ones we will be
grateful to on the Day of Judgment are those who brought us closer to All!h.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A person is on the religion of their close
friend, so look to who you take as your close friend. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) is telling us that sooner or later you will be similar to your close friends. The
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) is telling us also that not everyone deserves to be your
close friend. Be very careful who you take as your close friend.
The scholars of the past said to always look for five traits in close friends:
1) Intelligence
2) Someone who has good character
3) They are pious and have taqwa or are trying to improve their piety
4) They are knowledgeable or trying to gain knowledge
5) Zuhd indifference to the world
Umar (ra+yAll$hu anhu) said, Beware of a friend who is not trustworthy. Only the one
who has taqwa of All!h is truly going to be a trustworthy friend. This is speaking about
trustworthiness in the complete sense: you can trust them with your dunya and $khirah. In
that sense, a Muslim will have that complete trustworthy nature.
Fri endshi p i n Isl am

! Brotherhood and friendship are core concepts of Islam.

! To have a best friend is also an Islamic concept. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
said that were he to take a best friend, it would be Abu Bakr.

! Righteous friendship is based on pleasing All!h.
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- They will be given the shade of All!h on the Day of Judgment.
- Visiting someone only for the sake of All!h brings the love of All!h.
- Meeting, visiting and sitting for the sake of All!h grants the love of All!h.
- Love for All!hs sake allows one to taste the sweetness of faith.
- Protecting your friends and defending them is honorable.
- Anything which increases love is recommended, such as gifts.

! One of the greatest sources of regret on the Day of Judgment is friendship based on
other than All!hs sake.
Pri nci pl e: Fr i ends hi p bas ed on pi et y i s s t r onger t han bl ood bonds
bas ed on di s bel i ef .
The best friend of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was Abu Bakr. In Bukh!ri: there
is a story that there was a dispute between Abu Bakr and Umar, and they were close
friends as well. The narrator says that Abu Bakr went to Umar after a while and
apologized. Umar (ra+yAll$hu anhu) turned away and said he would not forgive him. Abu
Bakr felt really bad and thought to himself what he could do. He went to get the advice of
the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). Umar feels extremely regretful for turning him
away without accepting his apology so he ran after Abu Bakr and went to his house and the
family tells him he went to see the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). He then runs to the
house of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). He walks into the house and the Prophet
(%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) was sitting and on his right was Abu Bakr and all around were
senior companions. As Umar walked into the room, the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) stands up and says, O the son of al-Kha''!b, is it you who is going to abandon my
friend who provided for me when none of you provided for me and supported me when
none of you were the there for me. If I were to take a close, close friend (khal"l), I would
take Abu Bakr as my khal"l. The bonds of belief are sufficient for us. On this day, every door
leading to the masjid will be closed except the door of Abu Bakr. The Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) is showing his companions and the ummah the love he had for Abu Bakr.
This incident wasnt about who was right or wrong. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) is teaching the rank that Abu Bakr has in Islam.
Righteous friendship is based on pleasing All!h. The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
said amongst the seven given Shade are two people who love each other for the sake of
All!h.
One of the greatest sources of regret on the Day of Judgment is friendship for other than
the sake of All!h. All!h tells us about a person who goes through extreme regret and says,
On the Day the -$lim will bite down on their hands. Scholars of tafs"r say this is not
figurative and they will physically bite down on their hands. Is there anything in your life
that is so regretful that you would physically bite your hands? He will say, I wish I had
taken a path with the Messenger of All!h. Woe be unto me, I wish I hadnt taken so-and-so
as my khal"l (close friend). This person misguided me from the remembrance of All!h after
it had come to me [I was Muslim and knew the truth and everything was already there and
because I became close to this person, this person led me away from Islam].
What does Shay!$n have to do with this? Why did All!h mention Shay!$n here? One
interpretation is that Shay!$n works in footsteps and comes to a person and says to spend a
little bit of time with a person. So many times people end up in a &ar$m relationship which
started because they wanted to make dawah to that person. Shay!$n keeps making
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footsteps until this person becomes your close friend and then this person ends up
influencing you and giving dawah to you. A person then ends up on the Day of Judgment
biting their hands. You need the right people around you to encourage you. Find people
who will help you get closer to All!h. Find the right company that will help you grow in
"m$n.
20 Thi ngs whi ch wi l l Make You the Best of Fri ends

1. Love your friends for the sake of All!h first and foremost.
This is the most important point! This story shows the love people have for one
another simply for their "m$n. The story of how Abu Idr#s al-Khalwani became a tabii. A
tabii is someone who has met a %a&$bah and died upon Islam. It is the generation after
the companions. Abu Idr#s al-Khalwani says he was in Damascus and went to the
mosque. He sat down and started spending time in the masjid. He started looking
around and seeing something very peculiar. There were groups of people around the
masjid and they seemed to disagree about something and when that happened, they
walked over to one young man who had an illuminated face. He would tell them a
couple of things and their issues would be solved. It happened over and over again.
After a while, the curiosity got the best of him and he asked who that person was. The
person said, Dont you know this is the companion of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa
sallam) Mu!dh b. Jabal? For Abu Idr#s al-Khalwani, this was an amazing moment. One
of the best things they could experience was a companion and someone raised by the
Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam). Abu Idr#s al-Khalwani said he got so excited and
overwhelmed that he couldnt go up to him and decided he would go back the next
morning. He went early and hoped to be there before Mu!dh but found him there.
Mu!dh was praying, and he waited for him to pray. He walked up to Mu!dh from in
front of him and said sal$m. Abu Idr#s al-Khalwani said the first thing that came out of
his mouth was, Wall$hi, I love you for the sake of All!h. Mu!dh looked at him,
grabbed him by the collar and brought him close and said, Do you swear by All!h?
Abu Idr#s said, I swear by All!h. Mu!dh said, Do you swear by All!h? Abu Idr#s said,
I swear by All!h. Mu!dh said, Do you swear by All!h? Abu Idr#s said, I swear by
All!h. Mu!dh said, If that is true, then have glad tidings because I have heard the
Messenger of All!h (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) say that All!h has said that My Love has
become w$jib upon the people who love one another for my sake. How many people
are between Abu Idr#s and All!h in this chain? Two. Abu Idr#s heard from Mu!dh who
heard from the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) who heard from All!h. This is a
companion who when he was a young boy, the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam)
grabbed him and said, O Mu!dh, I love you. Because Mu!dh was brought up under
the tutelage of the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam), he understood what loving
someone for the sake of All!h meant. It was part of his "m$n to love the companion of
the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam).

The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said that if you love someone for the sake of
All!h, you should let them know. It means that you love them first and foremost
because of the goodness in them. You hope that by loving that person for the sake of
All!h that you are gaining the love of All!h.

2. Be the best Muslim you can be so that your friends will benefit from your example.
Are we the people who bring our friends closer to All!h or took them farther away?

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3. Be a source of goodness, bring them closer to All!h.

4. Love for them what you would love for yourself.
Sad b. Rab# and Abdul-Rahman b. Awf were made brothers by the Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam). Sad b. Rab# was an an%$ri and Abdul-Ra$m!n b. Awf was a muh$jir
who came from Makkah. Sad b. Rab# said, We are brothers from this day forward, so
half of what I own is for you. I have two gardens, and out of these two, one is for you.
My business transactions are half for you. I have two wives, and if she agrees, then you
can marry one of my wives.

5. Compliment one anothers strengths and make up for each others weaknesses.
A good friend has two roles to play. The first is that a good friend should always advise
you in the best manner when you are doing something wrong. A good friend
compliments their friend.

6. Be intelligent and considerate in the way you deal with your friends.

7. Be just and fair.

8. Conceal the faults of others and help them to improve.
We are not only responsible for not exposing their faults but also have to help them
improve.

9. Never be stingy with good, sincere advice and be patient if your friends dont always
take your advice.

10. Learn to pardon and forgive your friends when they make mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes.

11. Dont lie to your friends or break their trust.

12. Buy them gifts, visit them, and keep in touch.

13. Be there for them in their times of need and not just on happy occasions.
A good friend is not just there in their times of need to say they are sorry but he is there
to remind them of All!h.

14. Visit them when theyre ill and support their families when they need you.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) loved Khad#jah intensely and continued to
show his love for her by giving gifts to her family after she passed away.

15. Always speak well of them and never belittle them.

16. Defend them in their absence.

17. Make excuses for them.
Umar (ra+yAll$hu anhu) said, Always look at your Muslim brother in the best possible
light unless you are absolutely sure of the opposite. Never think of a single word
uttered by them as evil as long as you can find a good interpretation for it.

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18. Be patient with them. Everyone makes mistakes.

19. Dont let Shay!$n come in between you.
Shay!$n loves to attack friendships and people who come together for the sake of All!h.
The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Shay!$n sends out soldiers and they come
back to him and tell them what they did and Shay!$n is not impressed until one comes
and says they caused a husband and wife to have an argument, and Shay!$n says that he
has done his work properly.

The closer you are with someone, the more vigilant you have to be in guarding your
relationship with them.

20. Last but not least, make du$ for them.
One of the simplest du$s you can make for someone is: saying sal$m. We often forget
that this is a du$. The next time you give someone sal$m, bring to mind three things:
1) This is a du$ for them, 2) with this du$, you care about their $khirah and you care
about your own $khirah as well, 3) with this sal$m, you have the intention to increase
the love between the two of you.
What No Fri end Shoul d Do
- Backbite, lie, slander, spread rumors, mock
This is one of the worst traits in a friend. If you have a friend who backbites other
people in front of you most likely talks about you as well because it is a habit.
- Become overly angry or jealous
- Develop enmity and hatred
- Never remind you of All!h
It is important to have a friend who reminds you of All!h.
- Encourage you to disobey All!h
Exampl es of Best Fri ends
- The Ashari tribe of Mad#nah: The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) told us why they
were close friends. When a few families in the tribe ran out of provisions, the rest of
the tribe would come together and divide it among them. Because of this generosity,
the Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, They are from me, and I am from them.
[Bukh!ri and Muslim]
- .uhayb, Bil!l and Salm!n: They were not Arabs. They were all from somewhere else.
.uhayb was from Rome. Bil!l was Habashi. Salm!n al-Farisi. In Makkah, they were
persecuted the most because they had no tribe to back them up. The Prophet (%allall$hu
alayhi wa sallam) loved them a lot. They were also all poor. They gave up a lot for the
sake of Islam.
- Abu Bakr and Umar
- Sad b. Rab# and Abdul-Ra$m!n b. Awf
- Generally the Companions
Soci al i zi ng

Eati ng & Dri nki ng
- The best of you are those who feed others. [Ibn As!kir]
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When you go out with your friends, you should try to pay for one another.
During Shaykh Saads first week at the University of Mad#nah: He had two roommates
who were Arab. They all went out to eat at a local restaurant. Shaykh Saad was first in
line and ordered his food and paid and stepped aside. His roommates were staring at
him. They order their food, and the whole night was awkward. Later in the week he
asked another Arab brother. He told him that you dont just order your food and pay,
but you argue over who pays. No one in the Arab world goes dutch. It increases the
love you have and increases the barakah.

Make the intention you are doing something &al$l and building bonds and feeding
brothers and sisters. This makes it an act of ibad$lh to All!h.

- The most beloved actions to All!h are entering happiness upon a Muslim, removing
some harm, feeding him, or paying off a debt. ['a&"& al-J$mi]

- Spread the sal!m, feed people, join the ties of kinship, pray whilst others are sleeping
and you will enter Paradise in peace. ['a&"& al-J$mi]
Shoppi ng
- Give gifts and you will love one another. ['a&"& al-J$mi]
- The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) would accept gifts and reciprocate in kind.
[Bukh!ri]
Try to make it a habit to buy something for someone else. Buy at least one thing for
someone else. You get the barakah of the &ad"th of building love between one another and
you make sure the shopping trip is not all about you. Gifts tell the person that you were
thinking about them. If you give someone a gift randomly and it is not about the occasion,
that will remind the person that you love them. It automatically increases the love.

Gui del i nes
- Make your intention for All!hs sake. By doing this, the time you spend with your
friends, be it a meal or going shopping, will be rewarded.
- Remember the du$ for the marketplace.
- Stay away from anything which is &ar$m.
- Dont go to extremes, e.g. spending day after day shopping for no reason.
Pri nci pl e: Mar ket s ar e t he mos t des pi s ed pl aces t o Al l !h on ear t h.

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Chapter 8 | So Travel Through the Earth

Say: Travel in the land and see how (All!h) originated creation, and then All!h will bring
forth (resurrect) the creation of the Hereafter (i.e. resurrection after death). Verily, All!h is
Able to do all things. [al-Zumar, 29:20]
All!h tells us throughout the Qur!n to travel.
Whoever treads upon a path of knowledge, All!h will guide him to a path of Paradise.
[Abu D!w%d]
The Encouragement of the Shar" ah to Travel

- Travelling to reflect upon the creation of All!h
Look around and appreciate the creation of All!h. Sometimes it is simply a matter of
looking up at the sky and contemplating it.

- Travelling for seeking knowledge
One day during his first year, Shaykh Saad was sitting in Mad#nah and having lunch and
he thought to himself, How is it that Im one day going to be able to give dawah
because it takes so much? For a moment, he felt helpless until he thought about his
experience in Mad#nah. He would remind himself that it was not just the knowledge
but also the life experiences. It opened his eyes to things he never would have come
across before. Shaykh Saad lived in the dorms for the first year, and there was a
communal area for wu+). He opened the tap fully and was making wu+)slowly. He
realized one of the senior African students was looking at him and came up to him and
turned the tap down to a trickle. He said, Brother, I my village in Africa, I have to walk
14 kms to get water to make wu+).

Scholars of the past always traveled. It helped them grow as a scholar and student of
knowledge. You need those experiences to grow as an individual and mature.

In the first summer back from the University of Mad#nah, Shaykh Saad was driving back
home after 9 months. Close to his house there is an open field with grass. They drove
past and Shaykh Saad had a tear in his eye because in his entire life he never paid
attention to it before. After living in the desert for 9 months, he had tears in his eyes as
he realized the blessing it was.

The Prophet (%allall$hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A person who treads a path in search of
knowledge, All!h makes their path to Paradise easy.

- Travelling for pilgrimage
All!h has made traveling a very important part of Islam. In order to complete our
Islam, we have to travel as long as we are capable. All!h intended for all of us to travel
73

as long as we are capable. One lesson you learn when you go to #ajj is waiting. If youve
made it through #ajj, you can handle a lot. #ajj breaks you down and then builds you
up.

It is a beautiful moment in Mina when you look out and see people as far as you can see,
and you realize these are your brothers and sisters. It is an amazing site.

- Travelling to visit family or another Muslim
Earl y Musl i m Travel l ers
- Ibn Ba'%'ah
- Ma$m%d Shamsudd#n (Zheng He)
- Abul-&asan al-Mas%di
- Mu$ammad Idr#si
- A$mad b. M!jid
Pri nci pl e: Mus l i ms s houl d not vi s i t pl aces of des t r uct i on or
puni s hment . I f pas s i ng by s uch pl aces , one s houl d has t en t hr ough
t hem.
Travel l i ng to Seek Knowl edge

- M%sa was the first to travel for knowledge.
- Abu Ayy%b al-An)!ri traveled from Mad#nah to Egypt to confirm the wording of &ad"th.
He knew Uqbah b. Amr knew the &ad"th. When he hears the &ad"th, he says, Jaz$k All$h
khayr. He received confirmation that the wording he knew was correct (whoever
conceals the fault of a believer, All!h will conceal a fault of his on the Day of
Judgment). Uqbah b. Amr invited him inside to have food and rest, and Abu Ayy%b
said he would do it except that he didnt want to ruin his intention of solely coming for
the sake of learning the &ad"th.
- Companions would travel hundreds of miles for one $ad#th.
- Scholars would spend their lives travelling for knowledge:
Imam Sh!fii
Imam A$mad
Imam al-Bukh!ri
- Since the beginning of Islam until today, Muslims continue to travel for knowledge.
At what point does traveling for the sake of knowledge become far+ kif$yah? The
knowledge is not there, so it becomes far+ on one person in the community to go out and
see it.
Travel l i ng for Lei sure

Travel l i ng for Hol i days
- The general ruling is that it is allowed.
- One must be able to fulfill their obligations, e.g. pray.
- One must stay away from &ar$m.
- One should be sure they will not succumb to any fitnah.
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- One should know the rulings and etiquettes of travelling.
Travel l i ng for Fami l y Vacati ons
- Have the intention to please All!h by bringing your family closer together.
- Make the trip educational and beneficial for your family and especially children.
- Observe the same guidelines as above.
Honeymoons
- If it is done with a righteous intention of nurturing love between the husband and wife,
it is praiseworthy.
- It should not be done in imitation of the disbelievers.
- Observe same guidelines as above.
The stronger opinion is that honeymoons are permissible because it is not specific to non-
Muslims (as long as all the guidelines are met).
Pri nci pl e: The 5 r ul i ngs of t he Shar " ah can al l be appl i ed t o t r avel as
can be s een f r om t he t abl e bel ow.

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